Twilight My Loosely Interpreted Version
by jayemtee
Summary: Chronicles the first year between Edward & Bella. All the characters are the same, the story is different. This is my version, not Stephenie Meyer's. Read and review please! **fell off planet, using holiday break to update 11.20.11. so sorry!** xo jmt
1. New Home

1

Forks was impossibly dreary. How was it that a town could have gray skies for so many days? Was the sun playing some cruel trick on me? Phoenix was so sunny, so warm, so brown. All this place had was green mush and Piggly Wiggly pharmacies. The closest Wal-Mart was in Port Angeles.

My first few days in Forks were quite uneventful. School hadn't started back up yet. Christmas break was still for another 4 days, so I spent my time unpacking and acquainting myself with the town. I spent some time catching up with Charlie. Mostly small talk.

On Sunday morning I decided not to get out of bed until late as absolutely possible, which was a little after lunch time. I was thinking about my first day of school. Why was I worried? Probably because I wouldn't have any friends and I would be the new girl. Fantastic. And I was I going to get to school? Was Charlie going to take me in the cruiser? Nothing slows down traffic light a police car. I groaned and threw myself back down on my bed. I stayed in bed a while longer until I heard Charlie come up the stairs.

"You alive in there?" He said outside my still closed door.

"Yes." I replied. What could have happened to me, I thought.

"Can I come in?" Charlie asked.

It was weird to me he was so considerate. Then again, I was his teenage daughter he hadn't seen in years. For all intensive purposes we were complete strangers. Mom would just barge in, but we were close like that.

"Bella?" Charlie asked again.

"Oh right!" I said quickly, lost in thought. "Yeah I'm fine." I said as I pulled the covers up a little more, unnecessarily. Charlie poked his head in.

"Hey. Sorry if I woke you up. Just wanted to let you know we were having some company come over to watch the Seahawks game. Thought maybe you'd like to be, um, showered. Or whatever."

"Oh." I looked down at myself and glanced across to my mirror. Yes. A shower would probably have helped.

"Yeah. I will get in the bathroom in a bit. Who's coming over?" I asked. Did Charlie have a girlfriend? Why hadn't I thought of this before?

"Do you remember Billy Black and his son Jacob?" Charlie asked.

Racking my brain, I wasn't coming up with much. "Vaguely." I said.

"Well, Jacob's your age. You used to play together when you were little."

"Right." I replied.

"Right." Charlie stated.

"Uh…" I paused. Why was this so weird? So just blurted out the first thing that came to me.

"Dad, do you have a girlfriend?"

"No." He said. Slightly blushed.

"Right." I said. Ok. Well that answers that question.

"Right." Charlie said. And then he shut the door.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Less awkward Bella. He's your father." I whispered to myself. I thought about Jacob, trying to remember him. I recalled an instance of a river outing with a boy with black hair, but not much from the trip itself. I guess I'd find out if Jacob was the boy in this memory. Not trying to impress anyone, I dressed in sweats and a hooded sweatshirt and put my damp hair up in a ponytail.

I came downstairs and to my surprise, there was food on the table. Not a gourmet meal, but chicken wings, chips, beer, soda, and some other snakc. Charlie seemed to notice my surprise.

"I didn't cook. I bought it at the store. Football food."

"Yeah. It looks good."

Charlie looked at the table. "Yeah." He was still thinking about the question I asked him.

"Dad, sorry if I weird-ed you out with the girlfriend question. I just, I don't know. I thought that was who you meant and . . ." I paused.

"It's fine, kiddo. Don't worry about it. I don't have time for a girlfriend. I've got you to look after." He smiled.

Ok I thought. That clears the air. Sort of. Thankfully, we didn't have to make small talk soon after because there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get that." Charlie said. "There's plastic plates and cups in the cupboard if you want to put those out." He said as he walked out of the kitchen.

I went and set the rest of the table and came out to meet Jacob and Billy.

"Bells, this is Billy." He pointed to a man with long black hair and tanned skin. Suddenly I remembered who they were. Billy and Jacob Black. From the Quileute tribe outside of town. That's where the river outing was come from. We went to their reservation and had a campfire by the beach – not the river, and they told stories about their tribe.

Billy was in a wheel chair, wearing a cowboy hat, and lifting him in our house was Jacob.

"Nice to meet you, again." I said as I shook Billy's out reached hand.

"Welcome back to Forks. Charlie is very excited to have you home." Billy said.

I nodded my head in concurrence. As if to say, I was glad to be back home too, or that I was happy Charlie was happy. I wasn't exactly sure.

"This is my son, Jacob. You might remember him." Billy said.

"Yeah." I lied. "Nice to see you again." I waved.

"Hey." Jacob smiled and waved back at me.

Jacob looked like his father – only younger. He wasn't gangly, he was just, slim. He was about five-foot-seven, average weight, with dark brown eyes and long black hair. He had a very nice warming smile and I was relieved I might actually make one friend in this town.

"By the way," Billy said, "That truck out there is for you." He smiled.

"What?" I asked. I looked around both of them and saw an old 1950s something red Chevy truck.

"I fixed it up for you, all ready to go. It doesn't look like much, but it runs pretty great." Jacob said.

I wanted to run out and look at it but I didn't have a coat or shoes on. I looked at Charlie.

"I can't, believe, uhm…" I stopped. Completely shock and completely grateful.

"You're welcome Bells. Think of it as a homecoming present." Charlie smiled. I stared back at the truck. I was worried how I was going to make it to school. This was so great.

Charlie interrupted the silence and my thoughts.

"Let's get ready for some football!" Charlie said as him and Billy made their way to the kitchen. "I've got some chicken wings and beer…" I could here him telling Billy as they walked away, leaving Jacob and I standing there.

"So, you a Seahawks fan?" Jacob asked.

I laughed. "I know nothing about football."

"Yeah, I'm not a big fan. My dad and Charlie watch football together almost every week. Kind of tradition. I hang out with them occasionally. Thought I 'd come meet you today again though." Jacob added.

"Right, well do you want some chicken wings or something?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure." Jacob said. Clearly aware that I didn't know any other small talk to make. I was fairly shy.

We walked to the kitchen and Charlie and Billy had already loaded up their plates and were heading to the living room to watch the game.

Jacob and I both made small plates and instead of going in the living room to watch the game, sat in the kitchen and talked for a little bit.

"So how old are you?" I asked him.

"Fifteen, he said. But I'll be turning sixteen soon and getting my license. I can already drive out on the res, just not _legally_ around in Forks." He added, as if he wanted me to think he was more mature and rebellious. I smiled.

"Well, I'm sixteen and I have a car now." I laughed. "Maybe we can ride to school together or something."

"Oh. No, I go to school on the reservation." He said.

"Oh, right." I forgot. Slightly saddened that I would still not know anyone at school.

Even though Jacob and I didn't like football, we joined Charlie and Billy out in the living room. Jacob and I sat on the couch and made small talk. Jacob liked to work on cars, and hung out with his friends when he could. He said that he didn't have a lot of friends on the reservation because they were suddenly interested in being friends with this guy Sam, who I could tell from Jacob's tone, he was not a fan of.

Jacob also asked me if I had a boyfriend to which I immediately laughed at and told him I did not have a long distance love in Arizona. He seemed pleased with my answer, but I did not return the question to him, and we continued on to another subject.

After the game, which the Seahawks won, Jacob and Billy headed back home and left the truck for me. I helped Charlie clean up the kitchen and went back upstairs and read a little before I called it a night.

I didn't wake up early to go to my first day of school. Mostly because it was just that, a new school. But also because it was a Monday, and Mondays are just not good days.

"Morning Dad." I said as I entered the kitchen in jeans and one of the few long sleeve shirts I had.

"Good morning." He said as he kissed me on the forehead. "I'm late. I'll see you tonight." He said as he put on a coat. "Have a good first day of school."

I looked at him frowning.

"You know what I mean." Charlie added.

I sat down to my bowl of cereal as he headed out the door, but found it hard to eat. I wasn't really in the mood for breakfast, but I didn't know how the school lunch would be. Probably like the rest of the school lunches in the entire world—bad. Bad, canned, processed food. Yum.

I left for school in my new, old Chevy. In Phoenix, I would have probably been made fun of for my car, but here, it seemed like no one had enough money to buy expensive cars. As long as it got you from A to B, it was deemed good. Luckily, as I pulled into the parking lot, all the cars were just that. Not flashy, not decrepit, just average. Except for one. A shiny silver Volvo was parked in the middle of the lot. Definitely not going to park there I thought. Even if I had wanted to, there was no parking. I found a spot in the back and pulled in. Other students were still arriving and perplexed by the novelty of a new student at the school. I got many confused stairs as I tried to navigate my way to the office of Forks High School.

Forks High School was not like my previous one. It wasn't just one building. Finding the office was bad enough. I was forced to talk to people I didn't know. Furthermore, it was much colder than I expected, and my coat was doing a poor job of keeping me warm. Note to self, I thought. Buy a parka.

After talking to quite a few people, I made my way into a heated room. It was lit with fluorescent lighting and had a nice beige couch. Cream paint touched the walls and pictures of educational type material were on the walls. "Do Your Best" and "Attitudes are Contagious" read some of the pictures in the room. I was distracted by a lady behind the counter, probably thirty, looking at me with excitement.

"Isabella Swan!" She pronounced as if she had known me forever. "Charlie called this morning and said you'd be here. I bet you want your schedule."

"Yes." I replied quietly.

"Well here it is. Charlie told me you had taken quite a few advance classes at your old school, and from you're transcript I'd say you're suited to be a senior. Of course, I don't have that power, but I did enroll you in Trigonometry and Biology- Two. Most students your age are in that course."

"Thanks." I replied as if I had received a Christmas present that I did not want, like a sweater. Although, now that I was here, perhaps that wouldn't have been so bad.

Apparently the lady thought I was zoning out because she began talking to me again.

"I'm Mrs. Cope, by the way." She held out her hand. I shook it.

"If you need anything, just let me know. I'm here to help you, as well as the rest of the students."

I smiled weakly.

"Now let's see." She said. "You're first class is English. So you want to go to the far west building. When you leave here, just make a right and keep walking. It will be your last building on the left. I'm sure you can have another student help you to the rest of your classes."

"Thanks." I replied and walked out into the cold.

It was impossible to not be depressed here. It was cold, dreary, and the fact that I was going to have to trudge through this weather at least 5 times a day was not inviting. After a quick walk, I found myself in the English building.

My class was the second room in the building. I had walked into the class after it had started, and I felt all the eyes on me as I entered. I walked directly to the teacher and handed him my schedule. His name was Mr. Mason and he looked as though he had just graduated college. He smiled and told me to take a seat. I looked around and the only seat was next to a blonde boy. He looked pleasant, and was looking at me curiously. I took my seat next to him and tried to pay attention to what was being taught.

"Now, back to the Montagues and the Capulets." He began.

"I'm Mike Newton." The boy next to me whispered.

I glanced over at him. He seemed friendly enough. He was blonde, blue eyed. Much taller than me, probably six feet. His was built like an athlete, but not too much. He had had braces, I could tell. His teeth were straight. This reminded me of my years with braces. Although my teeth had moved slightly since then, I still was proud of them.

"Bella Swan." I whispered as my train of thought returned. I turned and face the front of the class. Nothing else was said for the next 50 minutes.

When the bell rang, I got up and began making my way to the door. My next task was finding Trigonometry.

"I'll show you to your next class." Mike said, before I got to far away. I looked at him questioningly.

"If you want, that is." He added.

I thought for a moment and decided that this wasn't a bad idea.

"Sure." I replied. He smiled as though he had just accomplished something and walked next to me out the door.

"Where are you from?" He asked, trying to make some conversation. I guessed the walk to the Math hall was going to be long. I was right.

"Phoenix." I said shortly.

"Oh. Quite the change in weather, huh?"

"Yeah." I really needed to start coming up with more than one word answers. People would start assuming I was a mute. "I'm came to live with my dad." I added, pleased by the fact that I had made a complete sentence. It seemed to please Mike too and he continued our conversation with ease.

Small talk was made mostly. He tried to touch upon all the finer points of Forks High School. Where what was, who his friends were, things to do. Just the regular stuff.

As we approached Trigonometry, he ran into one of his friends I guessed.

"Hi. I'm Jessica Stanley." She said proudly as she introduced herself. She had big curly hair, full of secrets I supposed. She had freckles, but they were endearing. She introduced the two girls standing next to her.

"This is Lauren." She motioned her hand to a very pretty girl to her right. She had stick straight brown hair and was very pretty. Her eyes were dark brown, and her complexion was flawless. She had a slight tint to her skin, which made me assume she had been going to a tanning bed, because there just wasn't enough sun here to receive that much color.

"Hi." Lauren replied shortly. She turned around on heel and walked into the classroom.

"This is Angela." She added to the girl on her left. Angela was pretty as well. A natural pretty. She had irregularly blonde hair and skin so pale, it rivaled my own. Her eyes were an unnatural blue and she seemed quite hesitant to meet me.

"Hi." She said quietly. "Welcome to Forks. I hope your day is going well." She smiled warmly. She was genuine, and I was relieved.

"Well," Mike interrupted. "I better get to class. Jessica, will you help Bella get to her next class?"

"Of course." Jessica said beaming. "See you later." She smiled at Mike and grabbed my arm.

"You can sit next to me." She said as she walked into the room.

Trigonometry was not complicating. The teacher, Mr. Varner, was very good at what he did. He was smart. Perhaps too smart, but he was a good teacher. It was fortunate for me that I already knew what he was attempting to teach us, because Jessica talked in my ear to whole hour. She was filling me in on everything about Forks and all the people in it. Between her ranting, I caught that she had my next class with me, so she would take me to it, and then I could sit next to her at lunch. That relieved me slightly, I wouldn't have to sit by myself. It was bad enough that everyone was already gawking at me as if I had three eyes and a peg leg.

The walk to Government was not pleasant. The wind had picked up and it seemed to be getting colder. The Social Studies hall was not that far from my math class, and that was a relief. Jessica was still talking, and I just kept nodding and saying "Yes. I see." whenever she made a point of interest.

Government, like the rest of my classes, was easy. School came very naturally to me. This was probably due to the fact that socializing didn't. I guess I couldn't be good at everything. I was also impressed by the fact that I had not tripped over myself yet today. It was probably because I was being very cautious and alert, but I assumed once I had settled into a routine, I would be finding myself frequently face down on the concrete.

When the bell rang for lunch, Jessica grabbed my arm and we made our way to the cafeteria. We met up with Lauren and Angela when we got there and took our place in line. The girls chatted, and I pretended to care and listened to what they were saying. They were talking about Mike Newton. Apparently he was the school catch, and Jessica couldn't wait to get alone with him. I was not interested. I was hungry, and wondering if the day could go by any slower.

In the line, I filled my tray with mostly fruit, and a bottle of water. The chicken fried steak looked more like a neatly compressed pile of dirt. I didn't feel like spending my afternoon in the nurse's office so I passed. I followed Jessica, Angela, and Lauren to a table filled with boys. Mike Newton was there and he introduced me to the rest of the boys at the table.

"This is Tyler." He pointed to a brown haired boy, who looked about the same height as Mike. He had a slight tint to him, but this I guessed was because he looked part Indian. He had broad shoulders and was very muscular. He must have been an athlete. I smiled cautiously and sat down.

"This is Eric." Mike added as he looked across the table to a boy sitting next to Angela. Eric had dark hair, and his complexion was spotted. He wore glasses, but he seemed to be built just like Mike and Tyler. He waved at me encouragingly and I waved back.

Everyone started chatting and my eyes wandered around the room. It seemed as though most everyone was talking about me. I guess Forks didn't get new students frequently. Every time I met eyes with someone, they would turn away. I had only been here for a couple of hours, was I already that intriguing?

As I made my way around the room, five students caught my eye. They were all sitting together, very quietly and no one seemed to be around them. They were the absolute epitome of perfection and I thought that I was dreaming. They all had pale white skin. Almost translucent, but it seemed to glow. They had dark circles under their eyes, as if they hadn't slept in an eternity, yet it just made them more appealing. The two girls looked as though they were directly out of a magazine.

The blonde one was the prettiest of all of them. Her eyes were blue, almost purple and her blonde hair shown like the sun. Her face was perfect, her eyes, her ears, her everything, perfectly symmetrical as if she were drawn by the most precise of painters.

The other girl, looked like a fairy. She had short, messy, black hair, and her eyes were dark. She was tiny, much shorter than the supermodel blonde, but yet, still gorgeous. She looked my way, but I couldn't look away. She new I was staring, and yet, she just turned nonchalantly as if this was a regular occurrence.

Of the boys, there were three. The biggest was bigger than any footballer player I had ever seen. He had huge muscles, and was easily six foot-four. He had nice, brown hair, brown eyes, and was appealing. He too, looked like an angel, even though he was so burly.

The one next to him was not as big. He looked average, still muscular, but had slightly longer black hair. He too had dark, eyes, and a perfect face. He was in deep conversation with the other boy.

The last boy, the one sitting closest to the end of the table, was the most handsome. Easily the best looking out of all the guys. He was thin, but not scraggly. He too had muscles, but they were not like the other's. His eyes seemed to have the worst circles under their eyes, but that made him all the more intriguing. His brown-auburn hair was shaggy, and his skin was so smooth, so perfect. I was completely amazed by how perfect he was. He was more beautiful than any person I had ever seen in my entire life.

"Bella." I heard my thoughts being interrupted.

"Huh?" I replied confused.

Jessica smiled curiously and new what I had been thinking.

"That's Edward Cullen." She said as a matter-of-factly. No sooner had the words left her mouth, and Edward Cullen was staring in my direction. It was as if he had heard his name called from across the room. But that was completely absurd. There was no way he could have heard her from that far away.

I felt myself blush and I turned away.

Jessica looked at me and smiled. "Edward Cullen is gorgeous." She said. "But I wouldn't waste my time." She said with slight distaste. "He doesn't date anyone from here. Apparently none of the girls here are good enough."

I figured he had turned her down before. I could understand why. He was absolutely appealing, perfect, and without a doubt, much better looking than any girl here, or perhaps on the planet. It was wrong for him to look so much better than the rest of us.

I looked at Edward again. I couldn't help myself. He was not looking though. He was in conversation with the other beautiful people sitting at his table.

"Are they all related?" I asked curiously.

"Sort of. They are all adopted by Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He's a doctor here in town. They've been here for about two years now. The big one and the blonde girl are twins. And the other three are all related."

"Are they always so secluded?" I asked.

"Yeah. They just don't seem that friendly." Jessica added.

I assumed she had never talked to them, because how could anyone look that perfect and be possibly dreadful? My question was about to be answered.

Mike walked me to my biology class. The teacher, Mr. Banner, made me introduce me to the class. I felt like an idiot. Not only because I was extremely shy, but Edward Cullen was staring directly at me.

"I'm Bella Swan and I'm from Phoenix, Arizona." The students looked at me, as if they had been expecting something more. I said nothing else. After what seemed like an eternity he told me to take a seat. The only one available was strategically placed next to Edward. For a moment, I contemplated running out of the room. Why was I acting this way? I didn't even know Edward. He was just a boy. There were plenty of boys in school, what was so special about him?

I took my seated and unwillingly admitted that it was because he was indisputably the most alluring person I had ever seen. Just being next to him made me feel like I was special. This obsessing had to stop. I didn't even know him.

And there we sat. Was I expecting him to look at me? Or even talk to me? I mean, everyone else had been mildly inviting to me. Why shouldn't he do the same? I waited patiently for him to acknowledge my existence, but after a couple of minutes, he still had not said anything. My curiosity got the best of me and I looked at him. He looked back expressionless, and I saw that his eyes were black. Black like looking into a well that had no bottom. He stared at me, and I blushed. I looked away as quickly as possible, hoping he didn't see. Peeking through the curtain of hair I had placed as a barrier between us, I saw that he was gripping his seat painfully tight, as if he was trying to break it. His knuckles were white from the pressure, and his face too, almost looked flush. It was as though he was trying to overcome some difficult obstacle sitting there in his seat.

I wanted to ask him why he was so uncomfortable, but I couldn't, it was too awkward. Much too awkward. I didn't look at him for the rest of class of class. When the bell rang he got up and was gone before I even had a chance to get up out of my seat. Mike approached me with a smile, and noted the extreme tension between Edward Cullen and myself.

"Sorry you had to sit next to Cullen today. He usually isn't that weird." Mike said mockingly.

"Oh." I replied lost in thought.

"I couldn't help but notice you had gym next." I said nothing. "With me." Mike added enthusiastically.

"Oh. Well then perhaps you can show me where to go." I said, forcing out a smile.

Gym was the one class I did not want to take. It required coordination, something I did not have. In Phoenix, we were only required to take two years of gym, but not here. Oh no. I couldn't be cut a break.

Fortunately, I didn't have to dress out and participate. Coach Clapp just told me what to expect and that I could sit out for the day and observe. It was probably the safest for me, and everyone else involved, I thought.

After class, I made a beeline for my truck. I wanted to get home as soon as possible and get away from everything that was Forks High School. Unfortunately, I still had one obstacle in between jail and freedom. Edward Cullen was leaning against my truck.


	2. Snow

2

Panic quickly overcame my body. Why was I freaking out? I asked myself as I tried to calm down. Breathe, I reminded myself. I didn't have a crush on him. Not yet anyway. What was I going to do? I could run back inside. Pretend I forgot something in my locker. That idea was quickly put to rest because I didn't have a locker yet.

What about the office? I could pretend to have questions and go to the office. But what if he was still standing there when I came back? That would be rude, to keep him waiting. But he probably would just leave. He would think I wasn't coming and just get in his car and leave.

Before I could work out an action plan, our eyes met. He had seen me. I couldn't walk away now. It would be too obvious. What's the worst that could happen, I thought. He would talk to me? That's what I wanted anyway. A simple conversation wasn't going to kill me. Pretending to be brave, I slowly walked to my truck.

Eyes were bearing down on me. I could feel the curiosity of all my peers as I approached my truck. Should I smile and say hello? Or should I just pretend to be irritated because he was leaning on my truck. Neither thought produced any communication. I just stopped, and looked at him, like an idiot.

"Bella Swan?" He asked. His teeth were white. So white, and perfect. And his breath, it smelled so sweet, like honey and lilac. My heart raced and I could feel my cheeks turning red. I could have sworn I had seen his lip twitch, as if to repress a smile, but it was too fast. It was gone.

"Hmm." I said, barely loudly enough that I could even hear myself.

"You left this in Biology." He said and handed me my book. Funny, I thought. I didn't even remember taking it out.

"Oh." I said, as I took the book from his hands. "Th-thanks." I stuttered. I didn't know what to expect then. That was it. What else could he possibly have to say to me? He should be walking away, I thought to myself, but he wasn't. And then something dawned on me.

"How did you know this was my truck?" I asked curiously.

"It's the only vehicle I had never seen here before." He said obviously. I felt like I was incompetent, and yet he still stood there. Did he want to have a conversation with me, because I had nothing to say. _Think of something,_ I could hear myself thinking. _Anything to get him to stay_. But then I heard someone calling his name. We both looked over. It was the girl with the short black hair at his lunch table. She along with the 3 others, were all standing by the shiny, silver Volvo. I should have guessed. Beautiful people all driving a beautiful car.

"Edward! Come on! We want to go home." She shouted across the parking lot.

"Have a good evening." Edward said to me, and turned on heel and made his way back to his car.

I said nothing. I just watched him walk away. His movement was so fluid. I hadn't noticed it before. Graceful, like an angel. My moment of gawking was interrupted by Jessica's excited squeals as she ran up to me.

"What was Edward Cullen doing next to you're truck?" She asked.

"Just returning my biology book." I showed it to her. "I guess I left it in class." I said, not sure if I actually had.

"Did he say anything else?" She asked.

"No." I replied. Jessica looked just as disappointed as I felt.

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." She smiled and left. I turned to get in my car and drove home. The drive home seemed a lot longer than in the morning. All I could think about was Edward Cullen. How had I forgotten my biology book? I hadn't even remembered taking it out. Did we even use it today? And did he actually want to talk to me? It seemed as if he did, before that girl interrupted us. I was annoyed. Why was I thinking about Edward? I didn't even know him. After much deliberating with myself, I decided I didn't have a crush on him, that I was just intrigued by him. That seemed to satisfy me and I quickly turned on the radio to try and find something to listen to, in hopes of distracting myself.

When I came home, Charlie wasn't there. I didn't have any homework, so I decided to make dinner. Charlie's food had not been particularly amazing since I had moved here, and I felt like a feast tonight. I ended up making fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn.

When Charlie got home, he was absolutely beaming at the smell of dinner.

"Thanks for making dinner, kiddo." He said eyeing all the food.

"I didn't really have anything else to do." I said.

Over dinner, Charlie questioned me about my day. I told him about finding classes, Mike and Jessica, and even Edward.

"Cullen?" He said through a mouthful of potatoes.

"Yeah." I said pretending to not be fascinated by him.

"His dad's a doctor. Carlisle Cullen. He is an excellent doctor. His wife is really exceptional too. And all their children, really well behaved." He said as he took another bite of potatoes.

"You know them then?" I asked, still pretending to sound disinterested.

"Well, of course. Carlisle being a doctor, their family is pretty prominent in this town. After all, I'm sure you've seen the kids' car. It's not exactly a secret that their family is rich." He added, but seemed unimpressed by wealth. "But they are good people. I've known Carlisle since they moved here."

If I kept asking questions, Charlie would catch on. Reluctantly, I dropped the issue and began clearing the kitchen. After everything was cleaned and put away, I went upstairs and opened my laptop. My mom, Renee, and Phil, her new husband, had gotten it for me at Christmas. Although my internet was slow here, it was better than nothing. I checked my email, and found it only contained one message from my mom. She asked how everything was going and if I was enjoying school. I typed back a quick reply and then logged off. I was tired. It had been a long day.

I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and changed into pajamas. I opened my door and yelled to Charlie that I was going to sleep.

"Goodnight!" He yelled up the stairs over the football game.

I crawled into bed and dozed off to thoughts of Edward Cullen. The rest of week was quite uneventful.

The only odd thing was Edward was not in class for the rest of the week. I pretended not to care, but I did. His siblings were there, so I just stared at them.

In between my absurd fascination with the Cullens, I was becoming good friends with Jessica and Mike. Mike invited Jessica and I to come watch him and Tyler play at the basketball game on Friday. I told him I would get back to him. Jessica, of course, said yes. She spent the rest of Thursday trying to convince me to come. I finally gave in and told her I would go.

I went to bed early on Thursday and awoke Friday to something I had never _physically_ seen, except for in pictures. What was yesterday green mush was now covered in a sheet of snow.

"Bleh." I said as I made my way to the bathroom. I showered and actually attempted to do something with my hair. I made my way downstairs and found Charlie had already left. After I made a bowl of oatmeal, I checked the weather and saw that it was going to snow even more today. Half-heartedly, I pulled on my coat and mittens, grabbed my book bag and made my way to my truck.

I slid the whole way to school. Not going above 15 ever, I ended up being late to my first class. Mr. Mason wasn't mad. He was just "Glad you got hear safely." He said, as if he actually meant it.

The rest of the day was a blur until lunch. It was all kind of monotonous and then I was able to socialize at lunch. Mike was still being as friendly as ever to me, and this seemed to be irritating Jessica to no avail. It wasn't my fault. I supposed it had to do with the extremely _good_ weather we were having. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the snow. Even the Cullens walked into the cafeteria with snow melting in their hair. It glistened off of them and I couldn't help but stare. But, more importantly, _all_ of the Cullens were there. Edward was at school today. I felt my heart jump. This was getting ridiculous. I was so caught up with the Cullens, I didn't even hear Mike calling my name.

"Bella?" He asked impatiently.

"Huh? What?" I asked, sounding confused.

"I asked you if you were up to having a snow ball fight this afternoon in the parking lot?"

I looked at him, biting my bottom lip. Everyone else at the table seemed to be waiting for my answer.

"I don't know." I said cautiously. I hated snow. I hated cold. I hated every type of weather this town offered.

"Oh, come on Bella." Jessica said pleadingly.

"It's fun." Angela said, trying to sound assuring, although it sounded as though she was trying to convince herself as well.

"Yeah!" Tyler added across the table. "We won't throw snowballs at you _too_ hard."

Him, Eric, and Mike all started laughing.

"Oh, please." Jessica said. "They have the worst aim."

I couldn't help but smile. I was being included in something and that felt nice. Why not? I thought. I glanced over at the Cullen table. They seemed to be enjoying it, and they didn't look like they enjoyed anything.

"Oh. All right." I said reluctantly.

There seemed to be a slight jubilation at the table for the rest of the period. I focused on eating my lunch and not the Cullen's for the rest of the time. The bell sounded and I made my way to biology, Mike in tow.

When I got to my seat, Edward was already there. He had his head folded down in his arms, so I tried my best to not disturb him as I pulled out my chair. I sat down, took out my book, and opened it to the chapter. I sat there, waiting for class to start, and the oddest thing happened. Edward Cullen lifted his head off the table and spoke to me.

"Hello Bella." He said politely. His voice was warm and inviting.

"Er, hi?" I said. It sounded like a question.

"I see you have your book today." He said smartly.

"Yes. The boy that sits next to me found it for me and returned it." I said back with a smile. He began to chuckle.

"That _boy's_ name is Edward Cullen." He said.

"Thank you for finding my book, Edward." I said, as if I didn't know his name. He seemed to already know this.

"Are you pretending you didn't know my name before this conversation?" He asked. "Because I'm sort of a mind reader." He said, with a blatant smile on his face.

"Oh yeah? Then what am I thinking?" I asked.

He paused for a moment. "I don't know." He answered honestly.

I laughed. "You're not a very good mind reader, then, huh?" I said.

He smiled. "Maybe I'll figure you out."

I blushed, and he saw.

"Am I embarrassing you?" He asked coyly.

"No." I said blatantly. I lied. I hope he couldn't read that.

"So, what brings you to Forks?" He asked.

I paused for a moment. "Do you really care?" I asked dryly.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I care?" He asked, his tone sounding concerned.

"Because you've known me for about five seconds." I replied.

He laughed at my sarcasm. "What brings you to live with your father?" He asked again.

"How do you know I live with my Dad?" I asked. Was Edward in the FBI?

He laughed. "I'm not stalking you, if that's what you mean." He said coolly. "I just know your dad is Chief Swan and he's not married, and I've never seen you before. So I just wondered what brought you all the way to sunny Forks?" He said sarcastically.

"I just thought it would be a good idea. I've lived with my mom, Renee, in Phoenix all my life. I just figured, why not give my father a chance to put his two cents in on raising me?"

I waited for him to reply, but he said nothing.

"Is that all?" He said, almost as if he knew this wasn't the complete truth. Perhaps he could read my mind.

"She got remarried." I said reluctantly.

"Mhmm." He said, but not in an _I knew there was more_ kind of way. "And you don't like him?" Edward asked.

"No. It's not that. It's just that, Phil's a ball player. He travels around a lot, so she follows him around the country. And I the way I see it, why make her choose between me and him? I know she loves me, so I just figured I'd come live with Charlie." I said.

He began to twirl his pencil in his hands. He looked back at me. I noticed his eyes weren't black anymore. They were a dark honey color. They were beautiful. I was curious about that. But I lost my train of thought as he spoke to me again.

"It seems as though you're sacrificing quite a bit." He said, still showing off his ability to maneuver the pencil between his fingers effortlessly.

"No. I don't mind Forks." I said. I really didn't. I just wasn't partial to the weather. And so what if it didn't have any book stores or decent shopping in a 30 mile radius? There were worse things.

We sat quietly for a moment. I wondered what he was thinking.

"So, I hear you are joining in on a snowball fight after school?" He asked, interested.

"That's correct." I said, sounding slightly proud I was invited in on something.

"Do you enjoy the snow?" He asked.

I thought momentarily. "I don't know. I've never physically seen it until today. Phoenix is pretty limited on snowfall."

He chuckled.

"What about you? I see you and the kids you sit with at the lunch table were playing in it today." I said, pretending to not know they were related.

"Yeah. They are my brothers and sisters. I'd say we enjoy the snow. The heat is nice every now and then, if you're planning on getting a tan." He glanced at his skin. It was so white, so pure. Just like the snow outside.

"I completely understand. I looked quite out of place in Phoenix compared to most of my peers." We both smiled. Considering the fact that it was sunny in Arizona about three-hundred and sixty days of the year, I looked like I was albino. My skin was pale, extremely pale. I didn't even have the excuse that it was because I had red hair and blue eyes. My hair was dark brown, just like Charlie's. My eyes though, like my mom's. I was thankful for that. She had the prettiest chestnut eyes. They were one of the few things I liked physically about myself.

Mr. Banner came in and class began. Edward didn't speak to me for the rest of the hour. As the bell rang, we both got up slowly and began walking to the door.

"You and your family could join us, this afternoon, if you wanted to." I said, trying to convince him to come.

"I don't think so he said." He glanced at Mike as he walked up to me. "Have a good weekend, Bella." He said as he flashed me a smile and walked out of class.

I was slightly disappointed as Mike and I walked to gym. We were playing basketball; Something I was quite terrible at. I could hardly walk without incapacitating myself. How was I supposed to dribble _and _run at the same time? Luckily, my team seemed to know I was incapable of anything athletic, and they only made me check the ball after we scored, which actually occurred quite frequently, because Mike was on my team and on the school's basketball team. We won by a landslide, thanks in part to the fact that I wasn't actually playing.

After gym was over, I changed and Mike met me outside the locker room. We walked to the parking lot and I saw Jessica. She waved at me and before I knew what happened, I felt something cold and wet splatter me. I looked over and Mike had been hit square on the shoulder with a snowball. I looked in the direction it came from and saw Tyler simply beside himself. Mike dropped his book bag and ran to collect himself some snow. Jessica and I began to giggle and ran to my truck for cover. I threw my bag in my seat and followed Jessica back out to where Mike and Tyler were. I glanced over to find Angela was running up to me and Eric had joined Tyler and Mike already.

Snow balls were flying from everywhere. People were being hit who weren't even involved. I tried to hide behind Jessica when Eric threw a snowball at me, but Jessica moved and I got hit in the leg. I began to laugh and dove into the snow to make my own snowball.

I threw it back at Eric, but my distance and aim were completely off and I ended up hitting Angela.

"Oh no you didn't!" She screamed and began making her own. I ran trying to find protection behind a car, but I was attacked from behind. Mike had hit me with a snowball and was laughing himself silly.

This was fun. I thought. The snow wasn't half bad.

As I made my way around the vehicle to find more snow, I glanced up to see Edward staring at me. He was beside his Volvo and he had a smile on his face. I waved and suddenly I felt as though I had something to prove. I made a snowball as quick as I could and very stealthily, I ran up behind Tyler and hit him square in the head. He turned around and I began screaming and running away. I only wish I hadn't.

My foot caught a patch of ice and I went flying across the parking lot. To tried to catch myself as I fell, but it was all in vain. I saw the pavement before me and then I felt the hard, cold ground against my head. It was a moment before I could register the pain, and then I smelled it. My blood. I was bleeding, and I could feel the warmness around my head. As I lay on the cold ground, I heard Mike, Jessica, and Tyler screaming my name. But that wasn't the voice that brought me back to consciousness. I heard the most beautiful voice I had ever heard.

I opened my eyes and saw Edward was leaning over me. He had a look of concern on his face and I felt his hand touch mine. It was very cold. As cold as the snow.

"Bella! Bella, are you all right?" He said, his voice trying to remain calm.

I looked at his eyes. Something was very wrong. They were black again. But I could have sworn earlier in biology they were the color of honey.

"Did you get contacts?" was all I could manage to say before I closed my eyes again.


	3. Social Outings

3

I felt something lift me; I thought maybe it was an angel. I was going to heaven, I thought. But instead of a feeling of happiness, I thought of Charlie, and I felt sad. He would be alone, all by himself. Again. And Renee! She would never speak to him again. She would blame him for his lack of responsibility to keep me alive. But technically, I blame my lack of coordination and clumsiness on my mother. She was eccentric.

After much deliberation about what I was going to tell God, I started to feel pain on the left side of my head. This couldn't be right. In heaven, you're not supposed to hurt. But I felt the pain. It was throbbing and I just wanted to make it stop. I lifted my hand to my head and felt my blood. I could feel my stomach churn and it took everything I had to not throw up.

I tried to open my eyes and I found myself someplace I had not expected. In a black leather seat, strapped into a seat belt. I looked to my left to see my angel. Edward's lips were pursed and he was concentrated on his driving. I wasn't going to Heaven I thought. I was going to Hell. This seemed to slightly amuse me because well, how bad could it be if he was there? I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't find the energy. As if Edward had heard me stringing my thoughts together, he looked over at me.

"Well, that's a relief." He said.

"You're doing 120." I said calmly. I wanted to scream it, but I didn't have the energy. He laughed at this statement.

"You could bleed to death and you're worried about a speeding ticket? You're absurd." He said to me.

I wanted to say something, but I couldn't. I wanted to tell him I was getting blood all over his ridiculously nice car, and that I would wash it. But I couldn't. All I wanted to do was sleep. But within moments, I was being whisked away to somewhere else. I heard voices.

"Edward, what happened?" I heard a voice ask. It was a beautiful voice. Like Edward's. Maybe that's what Edward was. He _was_ an angel and he had taken me to an angel doctor. I wasn't going to Hell. This was absurd. But when I opened my eyes, I saw a doctor who could definitely stand his own against Edward. His skin too, was white and pure. His hair was blonde, and he looked much too young to be practicing medicine. This must have been one of God's cruel jokes.

"Bella." Edward whispered in my ear. "This is my dad, Carlisle. He's going to take care of you."

"Oh." was all I could manage to say.

Somewhere between being admitted and having Edward whisper in my ear, I had been placed on a gurney and now I was in some room with Edward's father. Why was he so young? And so handsome? Must be where Edward gets it.

"Bella. I'm Dr. Cullen. You are at Forks General Hospital." He said in a musical voice.

"Can you tell me where you're at?"

"Forks." I said. Duh, you just said it, I thought.

"Good. And what day is it?" He asked me again. I heard him unwrapping something.

"Friday." I said. I was tired. Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?

"Do you know the exact date?" He asked me again,

"No. I know that it's January. " I said. He chuckled.

I looked at his hand and beside him was a cart with gauze, medical tape, and needles. I knew I was going to have to get stitches. _Why_ did I have to join the snowball fight?

"Bella, this might hurt a little bit. But it's nothing to worry about. I'll be done before you know it." He smiled and I couldn't help but feel less scared.

At first, it hurt. A needle running through your skin isn't the most pleasant thing. But then, I felt his cool hands against my head, and it wasn't so bad. Before I knew it, he was throwing the used needles and thread in the trash. He placed gauze over my stitches and stepped back.

"Well, it's not the most fashionable thing." He said, admiring his work.

"I'll live." I said wearily. "Where's my dad?" I asked. I figured he would have been one of the first people called.

"He's in the waiting room. I'll tell him he can come in." Carlisle motioned to leave the room.

"You mean I'm not going home?" I asked.

"No. Not just yet. In a couple of hours. I want to make sure you don't have any complications. We'll just let you rest." Dr. Cullen said.

"Are you going to be all right?" A voice called from the door. It was like Carlisle's, but different. It was familiar.

"Is she going to live, Doctor?" Edward mocked toward his father.

"She will be just fine." He patted Edward's shoulder. "I have other patients to see." He smiled at me. "Bella, I hope to see you again soon. Perhaps not in this situation though?"

I nodded my head.

"Good then. Come back on Monday and we'll have a nurse get those stitches out." With that, he turned gracefully from the room and left Edward and I alone. Awkward.

"So." I said as I laid back down. "Thanks for driving me here."

"If I hadn't, you would have just bled to death. That would have been such a waste." He smirked, as if it was an inside joke.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Nothing." He said firmly.

We sat in silence for a moment.

"So what exactly happened?" He asked curiously.

"I was running and I slipped on some ice." I said, slightly embarrassed.

"Hmm." He said and nodded his head. He looked as if he was going to say something important, but the words never left his lips.

"Bella!" Charlie exclaimed as he came rushing in.

"Hi Dad." I said wearily.

He looked at Edward. "Thank-you for driving her here. You're father, I mean, Dr. Cullen, told me everything. I appreciate it very much." Charlie held out his hand to shake Edward's.

"You're welcome, Sir." Edward said very politely.

"Well, Bella." Edward sighed. "I hope you do feel better and I'll see you at school." With that, he grabbed his jacket and excited the room.

"Dr. Cullen said you can leave in about an hour." Charlie said.

I was slightly less excited about this now that Edward was gone. What was I going to do to occupy my weekend? To my dismay, I didn't have any homework. That is sick. What was wrong with me? _I don't have homework. \_Maybe Dr. Cullen didn't do a thorough examination. But, trying to justify my thinking, I decided if I was thinking this complexly, then I was clearly not out of my mind.

"Dad, I know I've got this huge band-aid on my head, but do you think it would be all right if I still went to the basketball game tonight?" I asked.

Charlie looked at though I had just asked him if I could jump out of a plane with no parachute. Before he could tell me "No." I explained my reasoning.

"Well, Mike invited me to come watch him and Tyler play. Jessica wants me to come, and if I don't go, well, how am I supposed to make friends if I decline all their invitations for social get-togethers?" I pleaded.

"I'll think about it and let you know this evening." He said, as if not wanting to make a promise he had no intention of keeping.

I decided to pass the time I would just close my eyes and fall asleep. It worked only too well, and before I knew it, I was being rocked gently.

"Wake up, Bella." Charlie said. "Let's go home."

I felt much better on the ride home then I had in the hospital. I guess my nap made me feel refreshed, and whatever medication Dr. Cullen had given seemed to work. My head did not hurt, nor did I feel like falling over.

"So, Dad." I said once we were inside the house. "Can I go to the game?" I asked.

"Hmm." Charlie thought.

"I'll get Jessica to drive me." I said in hopes of persuading him.

Charlie was quiet for a moment. "You're head doesn't hurt?"

"Nope."

"You don't feel dizzy?"

"Nuh-uh."

"You promise you won't relapse?" He joked.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll go call Jessica." I said. I went upstairs and called her. She was excited that I was all right and she said she'd be over in 20 minutes. After she got off the phone, I went and took a quick shower to wash off the days events, and then got ready to go to the game. I dressed warmly, and made sure to blow dry my hair thoroughly so it wouldn't freeze. A couple of minutes after I was dressed, Jessica pulled in the driveway and honked the horn.

"See you later, Dad!" I yelled as I grabbed my cell phone off the counter.

"Not too late!" He yelled from the living room.

I was relieved to get into Jessica's car. It was warm. Snow was steadily falling outside, dropping the temperature.

"Hey!" Jessica said as I got in her car.

"Hi." I replied.

"How's your head?" She asked as she put her hand behind my headrest and began backing out of my drive way.

"It's fine." I said. It did feel much better.

"Yeah, when you fell I thought you had knocked yourself out. Mike went to call 911 but Edward just grabbed you and put you in his car." She said, sounding as if she wished it was her.

"Oh. That's what happened?" I asked, as though I didn't know. "I just woke up in the hospital."

"Well, let's not dwell on the bad. Are you excited about the game?" She asked.

"I guess. I'm not a big basketball fan." I admitted.

"That's okay. We're just attending for the socializing. Plus, we get to watch Mike." She said with a gleam in her eye.

I laughed. 'Do you think he's a hottie-mchot-hot?" I mocked as I laughed.

"Don't you?" She asked.

"Not really." I replied. She seemed relieved.

"Yeah. You like you're men pale, intelligent, and mysterious." She joked.

I blushed. Luckily it was getting dark, or she would have seen.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lied.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes.

We both laughed. The rest of the ride to the game was mindless chatter and just average girl bonding. I liked Jessica. I'm glad I had made a friend.

When we parked, we got out and met up with Angela and Lauren. Angela greeted me but Lauren just looked at me. We got seats in the gym in the middle of the bleachers, just in time for the game to start. Our team came out and the fans started to stand up and clap. "Go Spartans!" was all I could really make out. Apparently, it was custom to stand up until we made the first basket. Our team was, to my relief, actually not bad and we scored within the first 30 seconds of the game. Mike was number 23, "Like Michael Jordan." Jessica pointed out. And Tyler was 4, just for personal preference. Eric, number 99, was sitting on the bench.

The game was for the most part, like any basketball game. The team we were playing was from Beaver, about 15 minutes from Forks. They were definitely no match for us, and at halftime we were beating them, 32 to 20. Mike had made a couple of three-pointers during the game, after which he proceed to run down the court and point in our direction. Jessica squealed in excitement, and I just clapped.

When we first arrived, I had scanned the crowed for any sign of the Cullen family. Of course, I knew they wouldn't be there. A basketball game, or any school function for that matter, just did not seem like their idea of a good time. Nonetheless, I found no harm in looking, other than the fact I would just disappoint myself.

The rest of the game was uneventful, just basket after basket. Eric was put in the game in the last 5 minutes, but he was never passed the ball. We ended up winning 64 to 48, which was good because then I wouldn't have to be around a sullen crowd. Instead, Mike, Tyler, and Eric were all ecstatic. After the game, they offered to take us all out to dinner at a local restaurant. I was hungry, so I agreed. Jessica told them she would drive the girls and would meet them there.

Angela, Lauren, Jessica, and I made our way out to Jessica's car. It was still snowing when we left and a considerable amount had fallen since the game had start. There was almost 8 inches of snow now, and I was starting to get worried. The rest of the girls didn't seem to mind, as if this was completely normal.

Lauren sat in front with Jessica, which was perfectly fine with me. I sat in the back and stared out the window as Forks passed us by.

We made a turn at "Jack's Diner" and parked towards the front. The only other cars there were a silver Ford Explorer, a black Range Rover and – I gasped – a silver Volvo. This could not be happening, I thought as I slouched down in my seat.

"That isn't," Jessica paused. She looked back at me and smiled. "The Cullens, is it?"

Angela looked over. "Well, that looks like Edward's car, and that is definitely Dr. Cullen's Range Rover. He's the only one in town who could afford that." She said.

Reluctantly, I got out of Jessica's car. She walked behind me and giggled the whole way in. Angela and Lauren were completely in the blue, and I was glad about that.

"How many?" The hostess asked as we entered.

"Seven." Jessica said. "There should be three boys coming momentarily." She added.

The hostess, thankfully, sat us on the opposite side of the Cullens, but to get there, we had to walk past them. Edward glanced up, as did the rest of his family, when I walked by. He seemed pleasantly surprised at me being here. He didn't wave, but I could have sworn he smiled. It wouldn't have mattered if he didn't want to talk to me anyway, because Dr. Cullen stopped me.

"Bella?" He said as he sat down his silverware.

"Hello, Dr. Cullen." I said as the rest of the girl's made their way to our seat.

"Nice to see you, up and about. And it's Carlisle." He said politely.

"Er, right, Carlisle. Yes." I tapped my head. 'I feel much better."

"Well that's lovely." He said. "Oh, I beg you're pardon for being so rude. I'm sure you know my children." He waved his hand at the five of them. I nodded. I tried to avoid making eye contact with Edward.

"This is my wife, Esme." She smiled.

"Hello." I said politely.

"And this," he pointed at a man slightly older than him and a woman sitting next to him, "are some old friends of mine -- Professor Harris, and his wife, Debra. They are on their way back to Seattle, and we decided to take them out for dinner at Fork's finest restaurant." He smiled. I smiled back.

I noticed that none of the Cullen's had touched their food. I mean, it had been moved around and such, but it did not look like it had been eaten.

"I just got back from the basketball game with some friends." I said, trying to make mindless conversation, still thinking about their food. Maybe they had just gotten it. No, the Harris' food was almost gone.

"Add did we win?" Carlisle asked, as if trying to divert my attention from the observation I had just made.

"Mhmm." I said, distracted from my thoughts.

"Well that's always good." Carlisle said.

"I better get back to my friends." I said, as I motioned toward the girls at my table. I noticed they were not alone anymore. The boys had arrived.

"Oh, yes, of course." Carlisle said.

"Well, um, bye then." I said. I turned and walked back to my table.

When I got to my table, Jessica handed me a menu. She smiled, and I could tell she wanted every detail. I guess she decided to spare me the humiliation and would ask me about it later. A waitress came and took our orders, and then the seven of us were alone. Mike, Tyler, and Eric mostly talked about the basketball game. Jessica and Lauren gladly played along, but I was more intrigued by the Cullens. Every moment I could spare, I found myself catching glances at them. The whole family was gorgeous in comparison to the Harris'. Carlisle's wife was even magnificent. The perfect family, I thought. I was irritated.

"What's the deal with the Cullens?" I burst out without thinking.

Everyone at my table just looked at me.

"I mean, they just sit by themselves at school, they don't interact with anyone." I said, trying to sound as though I didn't like them. To my surprise, Lauren was the one who spoke up.

"Well, Rosalie, the blonde one, she thinks she's prettier, and better, then everyone else. My freshman year, she was a cheerleader, but she quit. I'm not sure why. I think it had something to do with summer camp and her not wanting to go to California. Emmett, he's the biggest one, he just, doesn't really talk to anyone. With his size, you'd think he would play football, but he doesn't. Jasper, he's the one with the brown hair sitting next to Emmett. I don't really know anything about him. He's really smart, but all of the Cullens are. Alice, she's well, really fashionable. She always has the newest clothes and the hottest fashions. She only wears designer labels from what I can tell, but I don't know why she doesn't let her hair grow out. She would be _a lot _ prettier. "

At this I scoffed. How could she be any prettier? She was gorgeous. I think Lauren heard me, but continued anyway.

"Lastly, there's Edward. I don't know what to say about him. He's just, I guess weird. He does the least talking out of all of them, and he keeps to himself. He would be a lot hotter if he just – spoke." Lauren added.

I looked at her. She seemed to take this as I wanted more information, so she kept talking.

"The Cullen's moved here two years ago. They are all adopted. I think Mrs. Cullen can't have children, or something. They live in a huge house, I have no idea where. They drive really expensive cars, and obviously, Dr. Cullen is a surgeon. Everyone in Forks goes to see him. I don't know why. He's not that great." Lauren added, and then sipped her soda.

"Oh." I said. "Hmm. Well thanks for enlightening me." I said.

The conversation seemed to have died after that, but luckily our food came before the silence became unbearable. We ate quietly, but talk slowly resumed. After everyone was almost done eating, I glanced out the window, and saw that it was still snowing.

"Jess." I said as a sipped my drink, "Are you going to be able to get me home?"

"Huh?" Jessica looked out the window. "Oh my God! That has to be almost a foot!" She looked at me, with slight worry in her eyes.

"It's okay." I said. "I can call Charlie. He'll come get me." I said.

"No, it's cool, Bella." Mike cut in. "I've got my parents suburban, I should be able to get you home."

"I don't know. I don't want you to get stuck on your way home from my house. I live up a huge hill. I think I'll just call my dad." I said.

Mike looked disappointed.

"Besides, I would just feel awful if you got stuck on your way home and had to spend the night in the cold." I lied. This seemed to make him feel slightly better.

"I'll be right back then." I said. I got up and grabbed my cell phone and made my way to a quieter part of the restaurant. As I walked past the Cullen table, I noticed Edward get up and follow me. Pretending I didn't see him, I took a seat in a table next to the door. He made his way past me to the bathroom, and I proceeded to call my dad. He didn't answer the phone. I tried again, and still no answer. What was I going to do? I couldn't ride home with Mike. With this thought in my head, I watched as Edward made his way in my direction. He took a seat across from me.

"What seems to be the problem?" He asked.

I looked at him suspiciously.

"I need to get home." I said.

"Oh. Jessica's car isn't going to be able to make it?" He said.

"No. I don't think so. But I can't get a hold of my dad so he can come get me." I said.

"And Mike won't take you?" Edward asked, almost enjoying my sudden look of distaste.

"No. He offered. I just don't want him to." I said.

"And why is that?" Edward asked smiling.

"I'm not discussing this with you." I said, as I dialed my dad's number again, still with no answer.

"It's okay if you don't like him. I don't care much for him either." He joked.

"It's not that. I just don't want him to think I_ like_ him." I said.

"And why is that?" Edward asked.

"Just, because." I said, annoyed. "Don't worry about it." I said.

"Do you like someone else?" He questioned.

I blushed. We sat in silence for a moment. I wondered what he was thinking. He seemed to be battling some internal conflict that apparently he didn't care if he lost. I guessed he gave up and sighed.

"I can take you home."

"Excuse me?' I asked, shocked.

"I said, I will take you home." He said calmly.

I stared at him.

"What?" He laughed.

"Why?" I questioned his motives.

"I don't want you to die." He said flatly,

"Why would you care about that?" I asked, completely confused.

He looked at me. He smiled a crooked smile that made me forget my suspicion. How does he do that? After a moment, I got my train of thought back.

"Don't you need to give some of your siblings a ride home in your car?" I said.

"They can all fit in the Range Rover." He said matter-of-factly.

I thought for a moment. I looked over and saw Jessica coming toward me, along with Mike and everyone else at the table. Mike looked disappointed and Angela looked dumbfounded.

"Bella, we're leaving before the snow gets too bad and I can't get home." Jessica said smiling. "Did you get a hold of your dad?" she asked, completely ignoring Edward.

I thought for a moment.

"Yeah." I lied. "He's on his way."

"Okay, then. I guess I'll see you Monday." She smiled and waved as she left. Angela did the same, and Mike seemed to wave half-heartedly. After I watched them all pile in their cars and leave, I turned to Edward.

"So, I guess I'm taking you home?" Edward smiled.


	4. Lies

4

I looked painfully at Edward. I felt guilty. I had lied to Jessica. Instead of being excited because I was riding home with Edward, I had overwhelming guilt rising in me. He's just a boy. I'm lying to my friends. This is dumb.

Edward looked at me. He looked slightly concerned. His eyes seemed to blaze and he reluctantly spoke.

"She's not mad." Edward said.

"How do you know?" I asked. He didn't know Jessica, he was just saying that to make me feel better.

He tapped his nose. "I know. Trust me." He said. I couldn't help it. His eyes smoldering, looking into me, _through_ me, what was there to not trust?

"Let's get you home." He got up and I made my way back to where I sat for dinner. I grabbed my brown parka and put it on, and walked back toward the Cullen table. I didn't stop, Edward was already leaving.

"Drive safely." Esme called after us.

The snow was still falling and if not for the setting, circumstance, awkwardness, and pretty much every other aspect of the situation, this could have been romantic. Edward held the car door open for me and I crawled into the front seat. I buckled my seat belt and took a deep breath. Edward got in after me, and smoothly he buckled his seat belt, turned on the car, and pulled out of the parking lot.

It was quiet. Nothing was being said. Edward was driving carefully through the snow, still fast no doubt, but not at the speeds he was today. Thinking back, I wondered how we hadn't died then. In the silence, I absorbed the moment. The interior was black leather, and the only light illuminating the car was coming from the dashboard. Edward was quietly drumming on the steering wheel to the song playing. His car smelled, warm, inviting, better than any candle ever lit. I felt safe. Nothing could touch me here, and all I wanted to do was absorb the moment. Perfection was driving through this snowy night in Edward Cullen's car, listening to him gently drum and not have any clue what he was thinking. If he drove past the city limits, farther north, where it would always be like this, I would be okay. I leaned my head back in the seat, closed my eyes, and sighed.

"What are you thinking?" His voice did not disturb the moment. It fit so well. It was quiet, calm, relaxing.

"I can't tell you." I murmured.

"Why not?" He asked.

"I thought you read minds?" I perked up, looking at him through the darkness.

"I do. I'm just having difficulty reading yours." He said honestly.

I paused. Should I really tell him what I was thinking? No. Should I tell him that I was enjoying this moment better than any other in my life? No. Should I tell him that he's a complete stranger and yet I feel so comfortable around him? No.

"You don't have any questions?" He continued.

"Are you a superhero?" I asked like an idiot.

He looked puzzled by this question. I supposed he was expecting something much deeper, but that was more than I was willing to give.

"No." He said, smiling a crooked smile.

"Then, why are you, so, I don't know. Different?" He looked at me curiously.

"Different because I don't talk about mindless things during school? Or that I don't socialize with anyone besides my family? Or is it just that I keep to myself?" He asked.

I thought for a moment. "All of the above."

He chuckled.

"What do you think I am?" He asked.

This question hit me. I thought for a moment. "I don't know." I said.

He pulled onto my street. I was already home. My heart sunk. I still had more questions.

"Why did you hate me on the first day of school?" I asked.

"I didn't hate you, nor do I hate you now." He said as he pulled into my driveway.

"Then why were you so, _mean,_ on the first day?" I asked.

"Bad day." He said shortly.

He looked at me.

"Bella, I apologize for being so rude to you." He was sincere.

"It's okay. I'm over it now." I said.

"Well that's good," He paused, "And bad."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked him.

"It would be _better_ if we weren't friends." He said. "For your safety, of course." He added.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

He just flashed me a huge smile.

"Bella, I think I've filled your head with more than enough thoughts for the evening." He seemed very pleased about this.

I looked at him, puzzled. "Am I missing out on some big joke?" I asked, clearly irritated.

He just laughed and leaned over across me and opened my door. The scent, it hit me, hard. He smelled so good, so irresistible. I didn't want to leave.

"Goodnight, Bella." He whispered.

I got out of the car and walked to my door. I dug in my coat pocket for my key and stepped in my house. I didn't turn around. I didn't want to see him leave.

Charlie was already asleep when I got home. All the lights were off so I tip-toed to my room. I quickly changed into pajamas, brushed my teeth, and went to sleep.

I awoke the next morning to an empty house. Charlie had already left for work, so I was free to roam the house as I pleased. I didn't get properly dressed until 3 in the afternoon.

That is exactly how the rest of the weekend continued. I was so bored. Furthermore, all I could think about was Edward.

When I crawled into bed Sunday, I was excited to go to school the next day. Not because I was going to school, because I was going to see Edward. And that was very, very stupid.

Thankfully, it was no longer snowing when I awoke. This seemed to please me, but still, the snow was at least a foot deep.

"Haven't they ever heard of snow days?" I questioned out loud as I made my way to the bathroom. I showered, changed, and went downstairs. Charlie, yet again, was already gone. I liked this set up. I stayed out of his way, he stayed out of mine.

I did my regular morning routine and then went out to my truck. I turned it on and let the engine get warm before I left for school.

I pulled into the parking lot and saw Jessica. She waved enthusiastically at me and was already pulling my door open before I even put my truck in park.

"Jessica!" I said trying to grab the door.

"I want details!" She demanded, a smile on her face.

After turning off my engine, I grabbed my bag, locked the door, and walked with her to English.

"I don't have any details." I tried to lie.

She looked at me. "You're joking. I know you're dad did not take you home."

"What?" I tried to lie, again.

"Oh come on, Bella. I'm a seventeen year old girl too." She made the obvious point.

I groaned. "Oh, all right!" I looked at her viciously. "You can't tell Mike."

"Scout's honor." She smiled as she lifted two fingers.

"He took me home. Nothing happened. We hardly even talked. I just listened to his music the whole way home." I told her. That was almost the truth. Our talking didn't even count as interesting conversation.

This didn't satisfy her.

"Jessica. I swear. If I ever have juicy details, I will tell you."

This seemed to be all right with her and we marched into school. I went to English and took my seat next Mike. He was talking to me thankfully. Unfortunately, he had a pink flyer he not-so-subtly placed in front of me.

"Valentine's Day Dance?" I gulped.

"Yeah. Cool, huh?" He said excitedly.

'I don't dance."

"Oh, come on! Everyone dances." He retaliated.

"Well, I am not part of that statistic." I said shortly.

"So do you want to go with me?" Mike asked, as if he had heard nothing I had just said.

I glared at him.

"It just so happens that I am going to Seattle that day." I lied. I was becoming a pathological liar.

"What?" Mike asked.

"Look. I really don't like dancing – at all. I don't dress up, I don't do frills. I don't dance. And even if that was just the case, I _really_ am going to Seattle that Saturday. My dad made plans with me to take me shopping so I can get more warm clothes." I finished my half-lie.

Mike looked disappointed but said nothing else.

Mr. Mason came into class. He looked as though he had something important to say, so he waited for everyone to be seated and to be quiet.

"Attention class. This morning, we are having a special assembly in the gym. We have guest speakers from various colleges here to talk to you, and the rest of the student body, about your future endeavors. I'm not sure how long this will take, so just grab all your stuff."

Everyone seemed please to _have_ to skip their first class, and perhaps more. I was indifferent either way. Listening to a speaker was not my idea of fun, nor was sitting in a class room _learning_ about stuff I already knew.

We made our way into the gym and I sat next to the usual group of friends. I looked around to see if I could find the Cullens, but of course, they were strategically hidden somewhere.

The speakers droned on for an hour and a half about career options after high school. Luckily, they stopped right before I couldn't take anymore, and we were finally able to leave. Once I reached the bottom of the bleachers, I heard a slight rumble and then, literally, everything came crashing down.

I glanced around to see what all the commotion was. It was like slow motion, although I knew it was happening fast. I saw around me Eric and Lauren running away. Through the sea of people and the screaming, I could see Edward. He was at least 15 feet from me. His face was white – whiter than usual. He had the look of pure devastation on his face. I looked up to see a bright light coming to crash down on me. I closed my eyes and then felt the force of the blow. It wasn't from the direction I expected. I was thrown sideways and landed on the floor. On top of me was something quite heavy. It was shielding me from the spraying glass. I opened my eyes to see it was Edward, panic was overcoming his eyes. I looked over to where I was standing, and there, where I was but a half a second ago, was the shattered remains of one of the gym lights. It looked a lot smaller hanging up, but here, on the ground in front of me, it was easily 3 feet across. I looked past the broken lamp, to see the rest of the Cullens. They did not look worried for their brother or me. They looked enraged. They noticed I was staring in shock and turned and walked out of the gym.

"Bella!. Are you okay?" Edward asked. I had heard the words before.

"I'm fine. Get off of me." I said irritated.

He rolled off, still looking at me.

I was fine. I had no cuts on me, no bleeding, nothing. My arm hurt slightly but other than that, I was fine. The problem was though, I should have been worse. Edward was no where near me when the light was falling. I saw him. Furthermore, there was no way he could have gotten to me in that amount of time. Something was not adding up.

"How did you do that?" I asked.

"I was standing right next to you." Edward said sternly. I could see the lie trying to hide itself in his expression.

"No. You weren't." I said firmly. "I am not crazy. You weren't there!"

"Bella, please." He whispered. Panic spread across his face again. What was going on?

People were starting to swarm around me. Teachers were yelling, people were screaming.

Edward got up, and I attempted to as well, but Coach Clapp just made me lie back down.

"I'm fine!" I screamed. Tears started streaming from eyes. That was not helping. "I am fine!" I reminded everyone again.

"Someone call an ambulance!" Coach Clapp yelled.

I was so mad. I was angry at Edward. Why was he lying?

Edward hovered over me, explaining to Coach Clapp his version of what _exactly_ happened.

"I was standing next to her…"

Liar.

"..just talking when I heard shaking."

Liar!

"I saw everyone running so I just grabbed Bella and dove." He finished.

LIAR!

Coach Clapped carried me to the ambulance moments later, I was still screaming. For this much noise, someone must have figured out I was all right. Nope. They strapped me to the gurney, and for the second time, in too short a time period, I was being whisked off to Forks General Hospital only to see Carlisle again.

"We must stop meeting like this." Carlisle joked said as he checked me out.

"I'm fine." I said still angry.

"Well, you don't have any cuts, no concussion." He added, checking his paperwork.

"I could have told you that." I said smartly.

He seemed to pick up on the fact that I was irritated.

"How about, let's take out your stitches since you're here, and send you home." He said smiling.

"Fine." I sat there.

Carlisle taking out my stitches was pretty painless. Maybe it was because the anger running through my body made me not feel it, or it was the sight of Edward entering the room. I couldn't decide which.

"There you go." Carlisle finished. "Shall I leave you two alone before I tell everyone they can come see you?" He asked, looking at me as if this was not at all odd.

"Yes. But don't send everyone. Just my dad." I said.

Carlisle nodded and shut the door as he exited.

I looked at Edward, not sure if I should tell him exactly what I was thinking.

"So you're all right?" He asked, looking at the floor.

"Yes. Just like I said when I was _screaming _it, and everyone was ignoring me!"

He just looked at me.

"Bella, I know you're mad at me." He said.

"Then tell me what really happened!" I demanded.

"I can't." was all he said, as he looked back at the floor.

"You _owe_ me an explanation!" I exclaimed.

He looked up from the floor, into my eyes. His were on fire. He was angry, and although I would never admit it, I felt bad. I never wanted to upset him.

"I don't owe you anything. I just saved your life!" He pointed out. He got up off the bed and walked across the room.

"You can tell me." I pleaded. "I won't tell anyone."

He looked at me. "There's nothing to tell."

I looked at him blankly. Tears began to start again. I fought with everything I had to not let them fall from my eyes.

He walked back to my bed and looked at me.

"This is why we can't be friends. I'm getting too attached to something," he paused, "something that I can't have. Something that is impossible."

I stared at him confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Bella, this won't work. I can't keep saving your life."

"So then stop." I argued.

"That's part of the problem." He said.

"What?" I asked. "Saving my life is a problem?"

He didn't answer. He just walked to the door.

"Then why did you even bother!" I screamed at him. He didn't turn around. He just walked out the door.

I threw my body back down in the bed and screamed. I was acting ridiculous. This whole situation was ridiculous.

Charlie walked in the room. I quickly sat up, fighting back the tears trying to surface.

"You okay, kiddo?" He asked.

I threw my shoes on and hopped out of the bed.

"Take me home." I demanded and stormed out of the hospital through the flood of people in the waiting room for me.

As Charlie pulled out of the parking lot, Jessica ran out. She looked at me confused, wanting to know what was going on.

"I'm fine." I mouthed as Charlie drove past her.

I spent the afternoon in my room. I only left to talk to my mom on the phone. I was extremely upset that Charlie called her and told, and I spent twenty minutes trying to explain to her that I was all right. As retaliation, I didn't come out for dinner, and after I heard Charlie go to sleep, I curled up in a ball and let the tears come.

They weren't just tears from today, they were the pent up emotion I had for everything that had occurred since I arrived in Forks. I cried and cried until I was spent.

I hated this. The worst part was even though I was so furious at Edward, all I wanted to do was be with him. That was the first night I dreamed about him.


	5. Visitor

5

The next day at school was not pleasant. As though I didn't get enough looks from everyone for being the new kid, now everyone was staring at me because I was prone to accidents – no not accidents, death. I was prone to death. It was twice in a matter of days that I had seen the inside of a hospital, and now everyone was talking about me, the weird, death-prone girl.

Jessica approached me cautiously as I got out of my truck. She seemed to know what I was thinking.

"Don't worry about it. They don't think you're a freak."

"Yeah, okay." I said sarcastically.

The wind flapped around my face as Jessica and I walked to English. I pulled my coat tighter around my body, hurrying to get inside. It was cold, again, and I had an inkling today would again be, a bad day. It was cloudy, as usual, and it looked like it was going to snow.

I took my seat in English class and Mr. Mason began to drone on about our next book, Capote's novel, _In Cold Blood_. Perfect, I thought. I was in a terrible mood, Jessica could tell. She did her best to not make conversation, but not seem rude. I appreciated her gesture, but was too irritated to comment. As Mr. Mason continued on, I stared out the window. To my dismay, as I stared through the gray sky morning, little white specks began to fall.

"Ugh!" I groaned out loud, not realizing how loud it was.

"Is there a problem Bella?" Mr. Mason questioned.

"No. Sorry." I said as I slumped in my seat. I placed my head on my desk and pretended not to exist for the rest of the period.

And that's the mood I continued in for the rest of the day until lunch. I guessed Jessica had told Mike and Angela, because both of them ignored me in my following classes.

When lunch came, I had no appetite, but to humor my friends who seemed concerned about my mood, I went through the lunch line and threw food on my tray. As I exited to the cafeteria, I saw them. All of the Cullens and Hales, just looking at me. Apparently, they were talking about me. I felt my face turn red, but not from embarrassment, from anger. I was so mad at Edward. He was lying to me, and I was lying for him, and now he was talking about me.

I made my way to our lunch table and slammed down my tray. Everyone looked at me but was too afraid to say anything. As if I could really take Mike. I laughed at this thought in my head, and looked over to the Cullen table. Edward and Emmett were staring at me. Emmett turned around, pretending to not to have seen me, but Edward stared. I glared back at him. What was he saying? I needed to know. And without clearly thinking my actions through, I got up and marched over to the Cullen table.

"Can I help you?" Edward asked in a musical voice.

I stared at him blankly. I was trying to piece together the string of thoughts I wanted to say to him, but I couldn't put the words into a coherent sentence. My mind went completely blank, and suddenly I realized everyone in the cafeteria was staring at me. Edward's entire table was looking at me, waiting, for me to say something. And so I did.

"Uggh." I said aggravated, and stormed out of the cafeteria.

"Idiot. You idiot. What were you thinking?" I asked myself as I trudged across the parking lot. The snow had begun to cover the ground and my jeans were getting wet.

"What exactly were you thinking?"

I spun around. It was Edward.

"Leave me alone." I said to him. I continued walking to my truck.

"You're going to skip school?" He asked, with slight disbelief in his tone.

"Yes." I replied with my back still turned.

"Well, I wouldn't have guessed you the type to play hooky." He said, still following closely behind me.

We reached my truck. This was it.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" I asked him sharply. "Why do you keep following me around, saving my life? Don't you have anything better to do?"

He laughed. Ugh! He laughed! I was being serious and he was laughing.

"Bella. You are absurd."

"I know, you tell me daily." I said sarcastically.

We looked at each other for quite a long time, nothing was said.

"Bella. We really _shouldn't_ be friends. I'm a bad friend – er, I would be a bad friend."

"Then we won't be friends." I shrugged, pretending as if it didn't bother me in the slightest.

"But it's not that simple." Edward said seriously.

"What?" I asked completely confused.

He ignored my question.

"Do you want to be my friend?" He asked, almost pleadingly.

"Fine." I said shortly and got in my truck.

"Fine. What does that mean?" He questioned and held my door so I couldn't shut it.

"It means fine, we'll be friends. Just next time you decide to not be my friend, give me a heads up." I said.

"Okay." He smiled. "You're still going home?"

"Yes. I need a break from everything Forks." I said calmly.

"Hmm." He stood their quietly. "So you're not still mad at me for yesterday at the hospital?"

"I've just decided to give up." I sighed. "You clearly don't want me to know exactly what is going on, so I'll just let you keep your secret."

"Thank-you." He said.

"But," I said as I closed my door, "If you told me, I wouldn't tell anyone. You _can_ trust me."

He just smiled. "Have a good afternoon then."

I pulled out of the parking lot and drove home.

If Charlie knew I had skipped, I'm not quite sure what he would have done. He was fatherly enough to be concerned, but passive enough to let it slide. Fortunately, he always arrived home around six, so I wasn't too concerned. I spent my free afternoon doing as I pleased. When I arrived home, I went to my room and checked my email. Renee had emailed me. Everything in Florida was great. Phil was still playing and traveling around, all the usual. Of course she was still asking about the light falling. Even though it had happened yesterday, and I wasn't injured at all, she went on about it for a full paragraph. I was tired of reading about how I need to be more careful so I logged off and went downstairs. I fell asleep on the couch and awoke when Charlie came home.

"Hey Dad." I said sleepily as I fought to open my eyes.

"Hey kiddo." He replied, placing his coat on the hanger next to the door.

"I didn't make dinner."

"It's all right. We've got left-overs from last night." He said.

Not sounding particularly interested, I laid back down on the couch as Charlie noisily made his way around the kitchen, reheating last night's dinner. After about fifteen minutes, he called me into the kitchen, and reluctantly, I pried myself off the couch.

"How was your day?" Charlie asked, attempting to make conversation. He knew I was still upset about him calling Renee, again, about my bad luck.

"Fine." I said.

"No large objects fell on you today?" He tried to joke. I stabbed my pork chop. The rest of dinner was silent.

When Charlie was done eating, he placed his dishes in the dishwasher and made his way to the living room to watch television. Since the Super Bowl was last week, his viewing was limited. Charlie was not really one for basketball, so while I cleaned up the kitchen, I heard him flipping through channels and finally settled on ESPN, or some sports channel. I finished washing dishes and as I was about to scale the stairs to my room, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." I yelled to the living room. Charlie gesture his hand acknowledging he had heard me.

I walked past the window and saw a shiny, silver Volvo sitting in my drive way. I felt my heart begin to race and my face turn red. What was Edward Cullen doing at my house? Almost too quickly, I opened the door.

"Good evening, Bella." Edward said in the single smoothest voice ever heard.

"Uh…" I looked dumbfounded.

"I wanted to bring over the Biology homework that you missed." He raised his hand; He was holding his book.

"Oh." I said. How thoughtful.

"Who is it?" Charlie called from the living room.

"Uh. It's Edward Cullen." I said, sounding surprised. Charlie was surprised too. He quickly got up and made his way to the door.

"Edward Cullen." He said, not in a harsh tone to my surprise, but a welcoming one.

"Well, Bella, don't just make him stand out in the cold. Come in Edward, come in." Charlie opened the door and I felt the surge of inferiority hit me.

Edward was like a Greek god. His porcelain skin glowed in the fluorescent light, perfect, flawless. His auburn-brown hair cascaded around his face, accenting his gorgeous honey eyes. I wanted to melt. He was too much of an angel to be in my house. Charlie's plain, ugly house. I thought of the game as a child where I was asked which of these things is not like the other. Edward was so beautiful, I felt embarrassed about how ordinary my family and my belongings were.

"What brings you over?" Charlie asked.

"I brought Bella…" I cut him off.

"…Notes. Biology notes." I pointed at his book. "We, uh, have a test tomorrow and Edward has kindly offered to help me study." I definitely did not want Charlie to know that I had skipped school.

Charlie raised his eyebrows.

"Yes." Edward agreed. "The last couple of chapters have been pretty difficult, and since Bella and I are lab partners, I thought perhaps we could study together." His eyes flickered, as if he was hypnotizing Charlie. Whatever Edward was playing at it would never work. Charlie would see right through that lie.

"Well, that's very kind of you Edward." Charlie replied, without the slightest hint of obscurity.

How thick could he get? Was he really buying this line?

"I'll just be in the living room if you need anything." And he made his way back to his recliner.  
Edward winked at me. I looked at him in awe. This is unbelievable.

"Perhaps we should go study?" He smiled.

I just looked at him. I walked to the stairway and went to my room. Edward followed, as if we _really_ were going to study.

Once we were both in my room, I shut the door.

"Why are you _really _here?" I questioned as he sat on my bed. Edward Cullen was sitting on my bed. My heart started beating faster. "Stop it." I whispered to myself.

"I beg your pardon?" Edward asked.

"What?" I pretended. "I didn't say anything."

Edward smiled his crooked smile that made my knees go weak. He began to laugh.

"Am I making you nervous?" He asked.

"No." I said shortly and took a seat at my desk before I collapsed.

"Anyway, as I said earlier, I brought you the work you missed today in Biology." He opened his book and handed me a neatly folded piece of paper.

I opened it to see exactly what I missed.

"It's just a vocabulary exercise, nothing too demanding."

"Thanks." I said.

We sat quietly for a moment.

"So, since we're supposed to be studying, what would you like to do?" Edward asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. Simply staring at Edward for hours would occupy my time, but somehow I figured he wouldn't find that nearly as exciting as I would.

"Can I ask you a question?" Edward asked.

"Sure. Do I have to answer?" I asked smartly.

"If you won't answer the question, then I won't ask it." He stated simply.

"Fine. But then I get to ask you one."

"Fine." He replied. "Why did you come over to my lunch table today?"

I thought for a moment exactly what to say. He looked at me, impatiently.

"I'm thinking." I said. He relaxed.

"I came over to yell at you. When I sat down at my table, I saw that you were staring at me and then you kept talking to your brother, so I assumed you were talking about me. I was still irritated at you for yesterday, so I just wanted to yell at you. But then, after I reached your table, I realized that I wasn't completely sure what I wanted to say to you, so I just left."

He looked at me.

"You're mad at me because I saved your life?"

"No! I'm mad because you won't tell me _how_ you saved me. I am not crazy, and you were not anywhere near me. There was no way you could have gotten there in time, and I just want to know how you did it." I stated.

"Bella! Why does it matter? You're alive, you're okay, and that's all that matters."

"No! I want to know why I'm lying for you!" I snapped back.

We sat quietly for what seemed like an eternity. He said nothing, just looked at me. I began to feel awkward to just have this beautiful angel just staring at me – plain, boring, unattractive me. Had he been here long enough for it to seem like we had done a fair amount of studying? I looked at the clock. It had been only a half an hour.

"Didn't you want to ask me a question?"

"Yes." I paused.

"Well, go ahead."

"How did Carlisle and Esme go about adopting you?" I asked.

"My mother and father died of pneumonia. Carlisle was their doctor, and when he saw that I was orphaned, he took me and raised me as his own son." He responded, a hint of sadness in his electric eyes.

"I'm sorry." I said.

"How old were you?" I asked.

"Four."

"And where did you live before you moved to Forks?" I inquired.

"Chicago."

"Quite a change, huh?"

"I like it here. It's quiet, not too populated. More peaceful than the city." He added.

"I guess I can see that. It's beautiful here." I said, looking at him.

"Very." He said, looking into my eyes. I had a feeling we weren't talking about the scenery anymore. I quickly looked down at the floor.

"You blush more than any other person I know." He smiled.

"I can't help it." I said.

"It's a very distinct characteristic about you. I can't read your mind, but sometimes, I think I can tell what you're thinking when you blush." He added.

"It just means I'm embarrassed." I said.

"Why? _I _embarrass you?" He said, as if he was oblivious to the fact that he was gorgeous.

"No." I said. He smiled that crooked smile.

"I'm glad you moved here." He said randomly.

"Why?" I asked, perplexed by this statement.

"Because you intrigue me. You're not like the other girls here."

"And by that you mean clumsy, awkward, pale, and shy?" I asked.

He laughed softly. "You're different in a good way."

"Well, that's always good to know." I said sarcastically.

"So, what exactly were you saying to Emmett when I came over to your table?" I asked curiously.

"I can't tell you." He smiled. "It's a secret."

I frowned.

"Can I ask you one more question?" He continued, as though I had never asked _him_ a question.

"I believe you just did." I was still disappointed he hadn't answered mine.

"What do you think of me?" He asked.

Not that question.

"Umm. I don't know." I said, trying to avoid the subject.

"Please, tell me. Remember, I can't read your mind." He smiled.

"Well, what do you want me to think?" I asked, trying to turn the question back on him.

"Do you like me?" He asked.

Uh-oh. What kind of like? Like you like a friend, or like you like a boy-friend?

"I like you." I simply stated. That should be vague enough.

"Do I scare you?"

"What?" I asked.

Edward laughed.

"No, you don't scare me." I said.

"I should. If you knew more about me, I would scare you."

"Doubtful. What are you? An axe-murderer?" I joked.

"I could be." He said playfully.

"Okay, how about an ex-con?"

"Can't you be more imaginative than that?"

"A were-wolf?" He seemed disgusted at the thought.

"No." He quickly responded. His eyes seemed to get hard, and his body became more rigid.

"What? Did I say something?" I asked, puzzled.

"No. No." He relaxed. "It was just an odd question to ask. I wasn't expecting it."

"Oh. I see."

Edward glanced at the clock. "It's getting late. Perhaps I should be going home."

I quickly got up. "Oh. Yes. I suppose maybe you should." I was disappointed at the thought of him wanting to leave.

We walked downstairs to the front door.

"Done studying already?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah." I said. "I'm going to walk Edward out to his car." I put on my shoes and coat and followed Edward outside.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I said as we approached his car.

"No." Edward said.

"Why?" I asked. Clearly, this was not the answer I was expecting.

"Because it's going to be sunny, and my family and I like to go hiking on sunny days, since it's a rare occasion." He stated as if this were a completely normal thing.

"But you have school tomorrow." I added.

"I know. Carlisle doesn't mind. We all get good grades, so he lets us go. As long as our grades are good, we can skip." He added smugly.

"Oh." I paused for a moment and pondered the thought. "Speaking of skipping, can we not mention that to Charlie? I didn't tell him about that part of my day and I don't plan on it."

"Mum's the word." He smiled as he ran his fingers across his lips, as though he were zipping them.

"So, I'll see you Thursday then?" I said hopefully.

"Of course." He smiled. It seemed as if he wanted to give me a hug, or some sort of gesture, but he hesitated. Instead, he asked me a question.

"By the way, the word around school is that you are unavailable for the Valentine's Day Dance. It that true?"

"Why? Are you planning on asking me?" I pretended to sound uninterested.

"No." He shot me down.

"Oh." I said.

"What exactly are you doing then on that Saturday?" He asked.

"I am going to Seattle." I said.

"With who?"

"Myself."

"In your truck?" He glanced over at my pile of red metal, trying to suppress a smile.

"My truck will make it just fine thank-you." I replied, trying to defend my truck.

"If I asked to take you to Seattle, would you decline?" He smiled his crooked smile. I was defenseless.

"Are you offering?" I asked.

"Yes." He replied.

I thought for a moment.

"Okay. You can take me to Seattle."

"See you Thursday then." He flashed me the whitest set of teeth I had ever seen and ducked into his car. He pulled out of my driveway and when I could no longer see the red of his rear lights, I went back into my warm house.

"Goodnight, Charlie." I called as I went upstairs.

I brushed my teeth and then fell into my bed. Edward Cullen was just sitting here I thought happily to myself. I smiled like a child on Christmas morning and buried my head in my pillow as I fell asleep.


	6. Truth

6

The morning was exactly how Edward said it would be. Sunny, cloudless, the perfect day to wear a short sleeve shirt. It was warm, but not Arizona warm and I still had to grab a light jacket. On my way to school, I actually got to wear my sunglasses and this pleased me slightly. I felt a bit Jackie O.-esque so there was a bounce in my step on the way to class. Jessica seemed to notice my dramatic shift in mood from yesterday, and was eager to speak to me.

"Hey, Bella!"

"Hey." I smiled. She smiled back.

"How goes it?"

"It goes." We both laughed.

"Nice weather we're having."

"I know. It's almost like being in Arizona."

Jessica caught onto my sarcasm and agreed.

"Yep. We better head up to First Beach while this lasts. Too bad you're going to Seattle this weekend though." She said.

"You're going to the dance." I reminded her.

"Oh yeah." She said. 'You're still not coming?"

"Nope. I'm still going to Seattle." I said as I swung my bag onto my desk.

"So, uh, why were you so upset yesterday?" Jessica asked as she took her seat.

"Edward." I was surprised I had said that so openly. Jessica raised her eyebrow.

"Oh." She didn't push the issue. Jessica seemed to be getting better and better at reading me.

"Well, then why are you in such a better mood today?"

I bit my lip. "Edward."

She smiled big. "Come on, Bella!" She shook my arm. "Please tell me what is going on between you two!"

I laughed. "I can't."

"Why?" She begged.

"Because I'm not real sure myself."

"Well tell me what you know."

"All I know is that Edward came over to my house last night." I said smugly. Let her make of that what she wanted. Her jaw dropped and eyes lit up.

"I know, right?" I giggled. This was getting bad. It was like I was talking about Johnny Depp showing up at my door. In my book, it was the equivalent.

"Please tell me something. Tell me what happened. Tell me about yesterday!" Jessica was about to jump out of her seat.

"Okay. Okay. Just, shh. I don't need everyone to hear."

Jessica sat back and pretended to be calm, but the glow in her eyes and the smirk on her face told me otherwise.

"I was mad at Edward yesterday because he couldn't seem to decide if he wants to be my friend or not. I mean, first he's saving my life, the next he's acting like I'm a pariah. So yesterday, after I stormed out of the cafeteria – ."

"Yeah? What was that all about?" Jessica interrupted. I gave her the evil eye. "Okay. Okay. Just keep talking. I won't interrupt."

"So, yesterday after I left the cafeteria, Edward asked me what my problem was and I told him that it was him. So we kind of cleared that whole thing up, but I just really didn't feel like being at school so I just went home." I could tell Jessica was bored with this so I skipped to the good stuff.

"…so then after dinner, I heard this knock at the door so I went to get it and out in the driveway I saw Edward's Volvo. And he came in and we talked a little bit and then that was it. He went home."

Jessica was not buying it.

"What? That's it. Yeah right. I want details!" She exclaimed. "How are you going to be like '_Oh Edward just came over. No big.'_ And not give me details?"

"I'll tell you the rest later." I sighed as I rolled my eyes toward the front of the class. Mr. Mason had just walked in.

During Spanish we had a substitute and were just working on an in-class group project so I finished filling in Jessica on everything that happened.

"So do you think he likes you?" Jessica asked.

"That's the thing. I don't know. You know how he is always brooding and moody and secretive? Well, he's like that one on one too, just more approachable. He seems rather harmless though. I guess, I don't really know." I said, frustrated. Jessica was frustrated too it seemed.

"Well do you think you'll get to talk to him today when he gets back from hiking?" She asked.

"How did you know he went hiking?" I asked suspiciously. What is wrong with me, I thought? Edward was not my boyfriend, and even if he was, Jessica would not _steal_ him from me. This was getting out of hand.

"Him and his family _always_ going hiking on sunny days. I can't remember at time since he's been here that he has been at school on a sunny day." She said, not giving it much thought. I suddenly felt bad for having doubted her.

"Hmm." Things were starting to click in my head, like the mouse finally decided to get in his wheel and run. I would have to save my thoughts for when I got home and made a mental note.

The rest of the day went by as usual. Mike sat next to me in Biology since Edward wasn't there. He wasn't flirting with me or asking me out on a date, so I assumed that maybe he was taking this 'thing' with Jessica more serious. I hoped he liked her, I secretly thought. Then he would leave me alone.

When I got home, I did a load of laundry and then went upstairs to check my e-mail. I hadn't e-mailed Renee in 48 hours so I was pretty sure she was starting to pace and worry. Sure enough, there was an email from her. I wrote her back telling her that I had had no accidents since the previous one and everything was fine. I wrote her about going to Seattle, but I omitted the part about Edward. It was bad enough I was going to give her a heart attack because I was going to Seattle. Telling her I was going with a boy might put her in a vegetative state.

After I had sent the email, I remembered my mental note and opened Google. I typed the word "werewolves" to see what that would get me. The first site said "Werewolves: Myth's and Truths." It seemed like it would get me somewhere, so I clicked. After searching many pages of nothing that seemed to support my theory, I was about to give up. I clicked on the Wikipedia link and read through, reading most of what I had already read. Germany…full moon…half man, half wolf…vampires. Wait. Vampires? Why wasn't that listed in any of the other pages? My heart began to race. What if…No. That's ridiculous. Well, I fought with myself, if that is so ridiculous, why wasn't looking up werewolves ridiculous? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Vampires." I typed and waited for my response. I clicked on the first link I saw. My heart was still racing and I could feel my hands begin to sweat. "How to spot a vampire." I began to read. One statement said they couldn't go out in the day, but Edward was always at school. Then it said they couldn't stay in the sun. Edward wasn't at school today, and it _was _sunny. It also said they couldn't come in a home unless they were invited.

"Oh sh–!" I remembered last night. Edward stood outside until Charlie invited him in.

Then my mind began to race. He always looks tired, but he sleeps in a coffin. He doesn't drink blood, or does he? Wait, he can't. His father is a doctor and he's around blood all the time. What if Carlisle wasn't a vampire? After all, Edward was adopted. But wait, he has the same gorgeous, porcelain skin as Edward. I thought about all the possible tests. I saw his reflection in my mirror last night, I thought. He goes outside in the day, but not when it's _sunny_. But he doesn't eat, at least not _food_.

And this was how it continued until Charlie got home. I argued with myself. Sometimes I was convinced that Edward was a vampire, and then I was convinced that he wasn't. But why'd he get so aggravated when I said werewolf? Why did that upset him? I'd have to make another mental note because Charlie had called me for dinner.

Fortunately, Charlie had plenty to talk to me about so I was distracted. After dinner, he helped me do the dishes and after that, I remembered I had laundry in the dryer, so I grabbed those and went upstairs. After I was done and about to sit back down at my computer, Charlie called for me. I came downstairs and was slightly annoyed to see Jessica and Angela standing in my living room. I put on my best face and pretended to be excited. It wasn't that I didn't want to see them, I was just too busy being Nancy Drew to be making polite conversation then.

"We were wondering if you wanted to come get ice cream with us." Jessica asked.

"Our treat." Angela added.

Hmm. Free ice cream didn't sound bad even though I was sure it was at most thirty degrees outside. The warm sun had gone away by the time I left school, and the temperature had dropped rapidly since then. I wondered if Edward's hiking trip was still successful considering the dramatic shift in weather.

"Bella?" Jessica interrupted my thinking.

"I'll grab my coat." I said as I spun around to suppress my frown.

"I'll be back later." I said as I walked out the front door.

"Not too late!" Charlie yelled.

"Why didn't you call?" I asked as I got in the car. Angela offered to sit in the back, which I thought was very thoughtful of her.

"We thought we'd surprise you." Jessica said.

"Oh. I see."

"So where are we going to get ice cream?"

"Downtown. There's an ice skating rink down there. We're going to meet up with Eric, Tyler, and Mike."

"And Lauren." Angela piped in.

"Why?" I said. I wonder if it was my tone that made Jessica laugh because it sounded vindictive.

"What?" I asked.

"It's just a kick to watch you and Lauren." Jessica laughed.

"Why doesn't she like me?" I asked Jessica. I still didn't understand what Lauren had against me. Every time I saw her she looked like she couldn't breathe and glared at me all the time. "I've never done anything to her."

"Well, she sees it differently." Jessica said.

"Again, I reiterate. Why?"

"You stole her thunder." Angela said nonchalantly. "She was 'it' before you came here. All the guys liked her."

"What about Edward?" I asked.

Jessica and Angela started laughing.

"What?" I tried not to smile.

"Don't worry, Bella. You are pretty much the _only_ girl Edward has looked at here." Angela said. "And stop acting like you don't like him. Jessica and I both know." She said matter-of-factly. "And I know what you did last night." She said mockingly.

I slouched down in my seat and continued to let Angela and Jessica embarrass me all the way to the ice skating rink.

"Are you done yet? Seriously?" I asked as we got out of the car. I wasn't really upset, it just felt like I was back in 4th grade when you felt embarrassed when other kids found out who you liked.

"No." Jessica laughed.

The skating rink wasn't indoors, it was outdoors and it looked like a smaller, less elaborate version of what Rockefeller Center looks like at Christmas time. Still, it was very beautiful. I wished though, I had dressed slightly warmer.

After we rented our skates, we went and put them on and made our way out onto the ice.

"I've never ice skated before." I had just remembered.

"It's not that hard." Angela said as she gracefully skated onto the ice. Jessica followed and they spun around to look at me, still standing outside of the rink. They motioned for me to come out, and I felt like the duckling that couldn't swim.

"Man." I groaned and cautiously stepped onto the ice.

Ice skating was _a lot_ harder than it looked. I remember watching Kristy Yamaguchi during the Olympics and recollecting how easy she made it look. I was distracted though by Mike and Tyler yelling at us across the way and we skated over to them.

"Hey kids." Mike said.

"Hello." We replied.

"Are you doing okay?" Mike asked me.

"I haven't fallen yet, if that's what you mean. But alas, the night is still young." I added. "There's still plenty of time for me to injure or embarrass myself in some way." He laughed at this statement.

"Well, let's not chit-chat." He grabbed Jessica's hand and I could tell she was delighted. Probably not as much as I was, and I watched them as they sped off. Eric and Tyler stayed with Angela and me as we skated around.

"Where's Lauren?" I asked. Eric and Tyler looked at each other.

"She's sick." Tyler said.

"From what?" I said.

"You." Eric started to laugh.

"Ha. Ha. That is _so_ hilarious." I said. "Really though, where is she?"

"Mike told her that you were coming and so she decided to skip out." Tyler said.

"I see." I said. "Oh, well, her loss."

After a while, my hands began to grow numb from their exposure to the cold with no mittens, so I went to get hot chocolate.

"Any takers?' I asked as I was getting ready to leave.

"No. We're good." Tyler said showed me his hands with gloves on them.

"I'll be right back." I said and skated over to the concessionaire.

"One hot chocolate." I said. I handed him the money after he gave me my cup and went and sat down on a bench. Jessica and Angela waved at me the first few times they skated by, trying to make me not feel left out while I sat there alone. I didn't mind. I was just thankful I hadn't fallen yet. My hot chocolate had warmed me up and I was ready to go back onto the ice. I was about to get up when I heard a voice behind me.

"This is somewhat of a dangerous activity for you, isn't it?" A smooth voice said in my ear. I spun around.

"Edward!" I said, definitely excited to see him. Then I thought about the vampire thing and was suddenly less excited.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

I looked out onto the rink and saw Jessica grinning from ear to ear. Mike though, did not look as happy.

"No. Go ahead." I said.

"How was your hiking trip?" I asked.

"It was cut short." He said.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"There's always next time." He said with a sigh.

"So how was your day without me?" He said smiling.

"I managed. I don't know how I did it." I joked.

He laughed. I liked it when he laughed. He looked happier, and that made me happier.

"So, would you like to go out there with me?" He asked coolly.

"Yes." I said almost too quickly.

He laughed gently, stood up, and held out his hand. "Shall we?"

Skating with Edward was much easier than skating without him. He held my hand, and didn't make a huge deal out of this, which relieved me. Jessica and Angela, by the looks on their faces, thought otherwise. I was going to be on the phone for hours tonight, I thought.

"How come you always run into me when I'm out doing things?" I asked.

He tapped his nose. "Built in radar." He laughed.

"I thought you said you couldn't read my mind." I added.

"Then intuition. I thought of the most non-dangerous thing that you could do that would turn dangerous, and this is what I came up with." He said.

"You don't think ice-skating is dangerous?" I asked.

"No. I do. I think you moving in general, is just unhealthy for you." He began to laugh. I was not impressed with his humor, and he could tell.

"Rosalie and Alice are here." He pointed to his sisters out on the rink. They were skating effortlessly, just as when they walked.

We made mindless chatter for about 10 minutes and I think he could tell I was tired of skating in circles.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" He asked.

"What?" This caught me off-guard.

"I need to be alone with you." He said. There was a slight intensity in his eyes. This made me stop breathing. It scared me, but it intrigued me.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He laughed. "Sorry, I'm sure that seemed really intense. Let me rephrase that. Would you like to go somewhere else with me?" He asked very politely.

"Sure." I said. "Let me go tell Jessica and Angela where I'm going."

Jessica and Angela were more than welcome to let me leave.

"You have to _swear_ that you will call us later." Jessica made me promise.

"I promise. I promise." I laughed.

"And tell us _everything _that happens." Angela said, seeing right through my way out of telling them whatever was going to happen.

"I will!" I said impatiently. I wanted to go. Edward was waiting for me.

"Have fun!" Angela said.

"Call us!" Jessica reminded me.

"I will!" I yelled as I ran back toward Edward.

"Ready?" He asked smoothly.

I slid into his car, as if this were a habit. It somewhat was. I had done this a couple of times already.

"Are Rosalie and Alice going to be able to get back home?" I asked.

"They'll be fine." He said smiling. He was hiding something I didn't know about.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he sped off into the night. He drove over the speed limit by about 30 miles, and I pretended to not be scared. Of course I was.

"I thought I'd show you where I live." He said and shifted gears as soon as the light turned green.

We were far past the city limits of Forks before we made a turn. I wouldn't have ever noticed the turn, none-the-less in the dark. It was strategically placed between a very long stretch of trees. We drove for what seemed like a couple of miles and then we happened on something very large: a large white house.

It was new, but its design was that of old world Colonial meets Victorian. It had a wrap around porch and a very large window over the front door that I could see a chandelier hanging from. With the front porch lights on and Edward's headlight, I could make out a very large garage and red Jeep sitting outside of it. The house was three stories, and landscaped. In the dark though, I'm sure I wasn't getting the full picture.

"This is your house?" I asked.

"That is what we affectionately call it." Edward smiled.

He pressed a button and opened the garage door. He pulled in next to a red BMW, beside that was a black Mercedes. Next to that was the black Range Rover I had seen before, and then, finally, next to that, was a car covered in a tarp. I was sure it was the Bat mobile.

"Worldly possessions mean nothing Bella." He seemed to know what I was thinking.

"Try telling that to someone who is poor."

"Do you think I'm, I don't know…" He was at a loss for words.

"A pompous ass?" I asked.

"Not exactly what I was going for." He said.

"I don't think you are a jerk because you are rich. I can't help it that your father did something with his life." I said, my tone was harsh. I was bitter! So what? I was entitled to be jealous because I did not have five vehicles.

"Bella." Edward spun me around.

"I would trade you _everything_ I have, to have what you have." There was a severity in his voice I had never heard before. His eyes looked as though someone had ripped out his soul. I could feel a pain in my chest and I felt my eyes water.

"I'm sorry." He said. He released me. "Please don't cry." He wiped away the lone tear that betrayed me.

"I'm fine." I said and brushed his hand away.

"I want the tour." I said trying to sound happy. I was happy. Just jealous. He grabbed my hand and we walked into his —

"Kitchen?" I asked.

"What?" He asked confused.

"I thought you didn't eat." I said, forgetting to keep my thoughts to myself.

He looked cautious. "No one eats school lunch." He said coolly. He was hiding something, but I decided to let it go.

One way out of his kitchen led to two huge wooden doors.

"Carlisle's study and office." Edward said.

We went the other way out of his kitchen into a huge living room. The furniture was completely white and there was a large fire place with a blazing fire. Next to this was another room, it looked more lived in, and there was a television and leather couches. In this room, instead of wall, was a window that went all the way up. I could see the river, and, as I guessed, a pool. My eyes followed the windows to the ceiling that led to the top of a spiraled staircase.

"I will spare you downstairs. Jasper and Emmett's rooms are down there. There's a pool table, exercise room, and Esme has a craft room of sorts. I'm not exactly sure what she does down there. I think she just makes a mess." He laughed.

I laughed too. We climbed the stairs to the hallway and as we proceeded down it, he pointed me out everyone's bedrooms.

"Carlisle and Esme's, Rosalie's, and Alice's. And here, is my room."

He pushed open the door at the end of the hall. His room was stacked with CD's. The walls were covered with a carpet like material and so was the floor. He had various artistic paintings hung in the spots that there were no CD's. There was a door to a closet, and one to a bathroom. He had a very large stereo system connected to a computer. It looked all very technical to me. Across from this was a single black leather couch with a pillow and blanket, positioned behind a very large wooden coffee table. There was no bed.

"No bed?" I asked. Not commenting on the other oddities.

He laughed. "That's the only thing you're curious about?" He smiled.

"No. But I didn't want to just jump into it." I joked.

He shut the door, turned on the lamp next to his couch, and patted the spot next to him. I walked over and took a seat.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

"Nope." I said, gazing around the room.

"Do you have enough CD's?" I asked.

"No."

"What do you listen to?"

"Everything."

"You know, you really are the only person I've met who can honestly answer that question that way." I said.

We sat quietly for a moment. My head was spinning with questions. Should I ask him? Would he get mad? I wasn't sure. Without properly debating, I just asked the question that kept repeating itself in my head.

"Are you a vampire?"

"What?" He gave me the same look he had when I asked if he was a werewolf.

"Don't think I'm crazy." I said. "It's just that, I am one-hundred percent sure that there was no way that you could have gotten to me in time when that light fell. It's not _humanly_ possible."

"Bella!" He exclaimed.

I continued on. "I'm sorry. It's just. It makes sense. You're really strong and fast. You don't go out on sunny days." I paused. "Well, you do go out during the day. It's just…"

"And why are you so gorgeous?"

Edward stared at me. Under any other circumstances, a person would have been delighted to hear that. Not Edward. He continued on yelling at me. "Why are you so curious, damn it? I asked you to stop investigating and just leave it alone! Why couldn't you do that?"

I was about to cry again. No! I thought. It wasn't fair. If we were going to be friends, or more, I was going to know everything. At least, I was going to know more than I already did.

"I don't care!" I screamed back at him. We were going to wake up his parents. "I don't care whatever you are! It doesn't matter! Why don't you get that?"

"Why do you have to know?" He was on the other side of the room.

"Why couldn't you have just left me and my family alone? Why in the hell did you even come to Forks? Everything was fine before you came here! I had a plan. Now, everything is…"

He was in my face before I could blink.

"Are you scared?" He asked me. I felt his cool breath on my face. He stared into my eyes. "Do you really want to know what I am?" He asked in a voice. It was still the one that made me feel warm, but it was different. His eyes were the darkest I had ever seen, and I knew that I had overstepped a boundary.

I didn't have enough time to breathe before he was out of my face again. He gracefully picked up the coffee table in front of me and with the greatest of ease and the most power I had ever seen, he launched the coffee table through his window.

It was at this moment I was officially terrified. I felt the tears begin to flow and I was too worried to try and hide them. And then it was it was over, like it never happened. He was by my side, holding me. And even though I should have been screaming, it was the safest I had ever felt.

"Bella, I am so sorry. Please forgive me." He looked pleadingly into my eyes. I looked at him. He brushed the hair softly out of my face and held my chin looking into my eyes. He leaned in. No, not now I thought. This isn't how our first kiss is supposed to be.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. He held me for a while and after I got my composure back, I pulled away. No kiss. I was slightly disappointed.

"Do you understand why I'm so dangerous?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Bella, I could kill you…" he snapped his fingers. "…like that. It would take nothing for me to accidentally take your life."

And it was with this statement he confirmed my theory, even though he never said it.

"It's too risky for me to be with you, which is why I tried to make you hate me when you moved here. But, it's too hard for me to try and fight it. So I've just decided to be my best around you."

I looked at him. "I won't tell anyone." I said.

We sat quietly for a couple of minutes.

"Do Carlisle and Esme know?" I asked. I already knew the answer to the question, but I had to make sure.

He gave me the look.

"And your brother's and sisters too?" I asked.

"Yes. They're all the same too." He said.

"So that's what you meant when you told me you would trade what you have for what I have." I said thoughtfully.

He nodded. "Yes, not being able to sleep, breathe, _even _eat. You come to miss a lot of things." He sat quietly and looked at my curiosity sprawling across my face. "Although, I'd probably take my car." He laughed.

"So, can I ask you questions?" I looked at him. I was like a child waiting to get home so I could open my new toy.

"I suppose if it's not now, it will be later." He groaned.

I was pleased, even if he wasn't.

"So, exactly how old are you?"

"I was born in Chicago in 1901."

"And the story about your parents?"

"They really did pass away. Not from a pathetic disease like Pneumonia though. They caught the Spanish Influenza and died. I had it too. But, Carlisle changed me after my mother passed away. He was my doctor, and I had no one." He added solemnly.

"Carlisle?" I gulped. "He, he was the one that, _changed_ you?" I asked.

"It was under the circumstances. Carlisle would _never_ change a healthy person. Only if they had no hope and they were dying, like me. It was a matter hours before I passed away. The hospital was so overrun with cases that no one ever noticed I was gone. I was just another one of the thousands." He sat and reflected. He noticed the look on my face. "He did the same for Esme." He added.

My interest peaked. There was definitely another story behind that, and the rest of his siblings, but I would press the issue later.

"So what about the coffins?" I asked.

"Nope. We don't sleep."

"At all?" I asked, puzzled.

"Never."

"What about garlic and crucifixes?" I asked.

"Myth."

"Wooden stakes?"

"Myth."

"Reflections or cameras that steal your soul?" I joked.

"No soul to steal, and yes, I will show up on a camera and in a mirror." He seemed utterly amazed at my lack of creativity.

"Is that honestly the best you can do?" He asked.

"Okay. Do you really burn up in the sun?"

"No." He thought for a moment, and then his lips began to turn up "One day I'll show you what happens." He smiled. "You will be quite impressed."

I thought for a moment. "Well then, I guess that clears everything up." I said.

"Aren't you forgetting the most important thing?" He asked.

I looked confused.

"Food." He said.

"Oh yeah." I said.

"We do drink blood. Just not human blood. Even though we are monsters, we try to be civilized. We hunt animals. It's not nearly as satisfying, but it quenches our thirst, so to speak. It gives us our energy, and as you noticed so perceptively, when we haven't eaten in a while, our eyes become darker."

"And when you're angry." I said. He looked confused.

"Men are always grumpy when they are hungry." He laughed at this.

"So you're kind of a vegetarian in a vampire sense?" I asked.

"Yeah. That's how we think of it." He laughed.

"So, aren't you ever tempted, to you know, to drink a human's blood?" I asked, not sure if I wanted the answer.

"Yes." He said. He was hesitating to say what he was thinking.

"Like mine?" I asked.

"You are very observant." He smiled.

"So, you only have been dazzling me because you want me comfortable enough around you so you can literally, suck the life out of me?" I asked.

He was clearly disgusted by this. His eyes turned dark.

"Bella. It is true that the scent of your blood is the most alluring scent I have ever smelled. But that is _not_ the reason I am so adamant on being around you."

"Oh." I blushed, and his eyes turned lighter.

"I think we have had more than enough questions tonight." He said. "Let's get you home." I did not want to leave, but I reluctantly decided to go on his behalf.

The drive back to my house didn't take nearly as long as it hoped. Edward did hold my hand the whole way. Nothing was said, and that was fine. I had plenty to think about.

When we pulled into his driveway, I asked him one last question.

"Okay. So, why did you get so angry when I asked if you were a werewolf?"

"Werewolves are our natural sworn enemies." He said.

"Oh." I said. "Well, that was simple enough."

"You better get in your house." He smiled. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

I made a sad face, hoping he would stay.

"Goodnight." He said.

"Goodnight." I said. I shut his car door and went in the house.

"Did you have fun?" Charlie asked? He got up out of his chair and went into the kitchen.

"Yeah." I said.

"Well, I'm going to sleep." He said and turned of the kitchen light.

"Are you going to stay down here?" He asked.

"No. I think I'll go to sleep too."

We both went upstairs and he kissed my forehead as we went to our respective rooms.

I was really tired and wanted to go to sleep. I was exhausted from all the day's events, but I had sworn to Jessica and Angela that I would tell them what happened. After I brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas, I grabbed my cell phone and put us on three-way. But before I could tell them what happened, there was a tapping on my window.

"Hold on." I said. I covered the receiver and went to peer out my window. There was nothing there. I spun around to go sit back on my bed. Someone startled me, and I was about to scream but my mouth was covered by a very pale hand. Edward stood there smiling, tapping his finger against his lips. He was smiling, and I was about to pee my pants.

"Guys. I can't talk right now. My dad is upset with me that I came home so late. I'll have to tell you tomorrow." I lied.

I could hear them groaning.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go before I get in even more trouble." Edward was beside himself laughing silently on my bed. What was so funny was beyond me.

"All right. Bye." Jessica said.

"Goodnight." Angela said too.

I hung up the phone.

"_How_ did you get in my room?" I asked, still astonished.

"I'm a vampire." Edward said as if it was a pick-up line. He was smiling from ear to ear.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned.

"You seemed so sad when I said I was leaving. I thought I'd stay the night."

My mouth was still agape.

"I can leave if you want." He said, sitting up.

"No!" I yelled. He began to laugh at me. I was still trying to figure everything out.

"But how − your car?" I was still trying to put it together.

"My car is not here, and I won't be here if Charlie comes in, in the morning." He smiled again.

"It must be nice to have super powers." I said smugly.

"Chicks dig it." I was sure he was mocking Mike, but I didn't say anything.

"So, are you ready to turn in?" He asked.

"Are you going to stay?" I asked.

"I'll stay until you're asleep." He said.

I frowned.

"You won't even know I left." He said softly.

He lay down next to me on top of my blankets. I faced toward him under my warm sheets. I could feel the coolness of his skin through inches of space he was giving me. I wanted him closer, but I didn't want him to leave by being so forward. I reached out and found his hand.

"Can we do this every night?" I asked.

He didn't answer my question. Instead he lay silently, pretending to sleep.

About a million things were racing through my mind.

"Edward?" I asked again. I was going to bombard him with questions.

"Tomorrow, Bella. I will answer all of your questions tomorrow. Now go to sleep."

I sighed heavily and closed my eyes.

Everything I had read about love was true, except this was different because I wasn't reading it in a book. It was actually happening to me. I really thought about the situation and decided it really didn't matter that Edward was a vampire. He was more compassionate, more human, than anyone I had ever met. And, more importantly, I was irrevocably in love with him.


	7. Tension

7

I was pretty sure when I woke up that everything that happened the night before was a complete dream, that I had just imagined Edward and me skating. But for some reason, I couldn't remember Jessica taking me home. But I had a very vivid image of a gorgeous, ravenous vampire throwing huge pieces of expensive furniture out a window. I squeezed my eyes even tighter to try and recall what I was attempting to remember, but I only could imagine pieces.

In my exertion of brain power, I heard a faint voice, calling my name.

"Bella."

If I didn't answer, it would ignore me.

"Bella." It said, again, just as sweet, perhaps louder.

I slowly opened my eyes, and to my disbelief there, at the end of my bed, sat the same ravenous vampire. But instead of looking angry, he was smiling his crooked smile with his blinding white teeth. His eyes were dark and sallow, but somehow they looked amazingly alert. He was dressed in a tight fitting cream sweater, which hugged his firm chest and toned muscles. I realized I was gawking, and quickly snapped my jaw shut.

"Good morning." Edward said, and ran his hand through my hair.

"Hi." I sighed.

He looked at me intently. I think he was observing the scene. The un-kept Bella, the hideous beast in the morning. Let's be serious, I wasn't good looking, period. Just, the morning was definitely my most unflattering time of day.

After the absorbed moment, I had time to clearly think, and I construed my thoughts together, to formulate a question.

"Did everything that I think happened, happen last night?" I asked.

Edward nodded his head. He didn't smile, but he didn't furrow together his eyebrows. He was not displeased, but I could tell he was wondering if he should have said and done the things he had done the night before.

I sat my back against my headboard in astonishment. A real live vampire, it was quite possible the greatest secret ever. I pursed my lips to suppress my smile and excitement, so I wouldn't disappoint Edward.

"I think I'll get in the shower." I said.

Edward motioned to the bathroom.

I quickly showered, knowing I was running late. I dressed, brushed my teeth, while Edward sat patiently and waited downstairs. Charlie had left early in the morning, Edward had shouted to me as I was showering.

When we walked out the door, I was expecting to be taking my car to school, but there sat Edward's shiny Volvo. Stupid shiny Volvo owner.

He walked to the passenger side and gracefully opened the door. Like a perfect gentlemen, he held my hand to steady me as I got in and just as quickly, he shut the door and was in his seat before I could properly position myself.

He sped down the road and toward school.

I sat staring out the window. It was dreary, but I could see the sun trying to poke through the clouds. I wondered, sitting there, what I was going to do now. I knew what Edward was, but I was in love with him. It was like loving your best friend's boyfriend, except in that situation, I probably wouldn't lose my life. With Edward, I couldn't have him without some consequences. And yet, even though I knew more about Edward than I ever had before, I felt the strangest distance between us. It was like I had met a completely different person. And in a sense, it was. Edward was not the _person_ I thought he was. I was going to have learn all this stuff about this new person. And if that was the case, that Edward was this new person, then perhaps I could walk away now. I pondered the notion for half a second and felt something go missing. It was my heart, it must have missed a beat. The sadness of thinking of not ever being able to see Edward was enough to make my heart stop beating.

Edward seemed to observe the fact that I was thinking intently on something.

"Anything you'd like to share with the class?" He said jokingly.

I looked at him, shook my head, smiled weakly, and stared back out the window.

My thoughts were too jumbled to be trying to explain things to him.

"I really didn't go hiking." Edward said, randomly.

"Oh?" I looked puzzled. Something was wrong with me. I was spacing out, not paying attention to anything Edward said. It was all just a lot to take in, and I didn't know if my brain could take anymore information.

"I had to eat." He said shortly.

I nodded my head. I understood, and went back to staring out the window.

We pulled into the parking lot and Jessica and Angela were standing across the way, clearly staring at me hard enough to put a hole through my head.

"What should I tell Angela and Jessica?" I asked Edward as we began walking toward them.

"What do you mean?" He asked coyly.

I looked at him, pleading with him to tell me something.

He thought for a moment. "Tell them we're together, it's just easier than trying to explain anything."

I nodded cheerfully in agreement.

"What else should I tell them when they ask me a thousand questions?"

"I'll be listening for those answers myself." He smiled debonairly and tapped his nose. He winked at me, turned, and left me to fend for myself as Jessica and Angela swarmed me. They linked their arms around mine and escorted me inside the building.

"We have so much to talk about." Angela said, staring directly at me. I looked at Jessica.

"And since we can't discuss in class, lunch will be just us three." Jessica grinned.

For the rest of the morning, Jessica and Angela avoided speaking about Edward, and entertained me with mindless chatter about was on Grey's Anatomy the night before. I had missed it because I was with my own McDreamy. I giggled inside my head at this thought.

As the bell to lunch sounded, I walked with Jessica only to run into Edward, leaning against the wall. He flashed me a curious smile and walked up to me.

"Jessica, do you mind if I have a moment with Bella? I promise to give her back."

Jessica nodded, probably because she couldn't say yes. It was hard to talk to Edward, when he looked at you. He made you feel, well, like a puddle. Edward seemed to be thinking the same thing and did the best he could to hide his smirk.

She looked at me. "I'll be waiting for you over there." She pointed to a table across the cafeteria in the corner where Angela already had a seat.

"What's up?" I asked, trying to act calm.

"Well, I was listening to Angela and Jessica all morning, and I have yet to hear anything." He smiled.

"They wanted to wait until lunch to grill me. How thoughtful of them." I said sarcastically.

At this, Edward grinned. "Well, I mustn't keep you waiting." He spun me around and pushed me in the direction of Angela and Jessica. I took a deep breath and made the trek to the table.

"What happened?" Jessica asked before I could even sit down.

I paused for a moment. What to tell them? I should try the truth. Nothing I could ever make up would be as interesting as the truth. While I was contemplating that option, I quickly decided it wasn't best. How exactly would one say that?

"Oh, you know, Edward's your average everyday vampire. Doesn't drink human blood though because he's not a monster. Oh yeah, the rest of his family, they're all vampires too. But don't worry, they won't eat you. They just have super human strength, are crazy fast, and oh yeah, don't get burned in the sun."

I smiled. Yeah, right.

"What!" Jessica interrupted.

"Er, what?" Angela looked at me sternly. "Oh right. Well let's see."

I hesitated and Angela and Jessica both inched closer. I glanced over at Edward, and he was suppressing a smile, yet he too, seemed to inch closer in his seat.

"Well, he drove me to his house."

Jessica and Angela squealed.

I lifted my eyebrows. "Guys, I'll never be able to tell you the story if you get excited after every sentence."

"Okay. Okay. We'll comment later." Jessica said. Keep going. I glanced at Edward, he was laughing hysterically. What was so funny?

I continued. "He lives in this huge house outside of town. Like, there's no way I could tell you where it's at, it was too dark. But it's in the middle of nowhere, hidden behind trees, and there's a huge river behind it."

Jessica looked impressed.

"His room is your average furniture, couch, bed –" I lied. "But the coolest part is that the walls are covered in CD's. I mean literally, wall to wall, floor to ceiling. Except for windows and posters of course."

Angela was intrigued. "What did you guys do?" she asked.

I glanced at Edward. He was still laughing.

"Well, he let me listen to some music, we made some food, talked, that's about it." And I ended my story.

"No kiss?" Jessica sat back, clearly disappointed.

"No! I mean, we barely know each other." I replied.

"So?" She looked at me.

Angela coughed. "Anyway, are you guys going out again?"

I didn't know if I should lie or tell them the truth.

"Well, next Saturday, we're going to Seattle together." I said honestly.

Angela smiled and Jessica practically fell over.

Jessica mouthed "Wow" – enunciating every letter.

"You're not going to the Valentines Day dance?" Angela questioned.

"Is that the same day?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Hmm. I guess not then. I don't dance anyway, so I don't suppose I will miss out on much." I simply stated.

I stabbed my spaghetti, spun it on my fork, and took a bite. It was awkwardly silent, and I was hoping they would say something. The silence lasted too long, and I broke.

"Anything else?" I questioned.

Jessica looked up. "Are you dating?"

I looked at Edward. He looked at me. His face was expressionless. He told me to say yes, but is that what he really wanted? I was so confused.

"Yes." I gave in.

"Oh! My! God!" Angela squealed. Jessica looked less then enthusiastic.

"He is so gorgeous." Angela said.

"I know. He is pretty hot." I laughed.

Jessica forced a laugh out, but for the rest of lunch stared off into space and seemed distant. When the bell rang for lunch, we all three got up to put up our trays. I grabbed Jessica aside to ask her about her sudden change in mood.

"Are you upset with me for going out with Edward?" I asked.

She didn't answer. She just looked at me.

"No. It's all just a little much." She said simply. She turned to walk away, but I grabbed her arm.

"Jessica?" I pleaded.

"I sorta had a huge crush on Edward." She stated, her eyes to the ground.

"Oh." Was all I could say.

"I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't know." I said in defense.

"It's okay. I mean, I'm glad he's dating my friend you know? It's just…I mean I'm happy for you."

She paused. I began to open my mouth to say some words of condolence, but she spoke first.

"Bella," she placed her hand on my shoulder. "I really am thrilled for you. I mean, you're a great girl. Edward and I never even speak, I don't even think he knows I exist. So, it's cool. Really, I'm not upset." She smiled and I smiled back.

We turned to put up our trays and we parted ways as I went to Biology. I could feel my heart racing as I walked in the class, and there sat Edward. Looking simply irresistible, and innocent, as if he had no clue what just happened.

"She's really not mad at you." He said.

"How do you know?" I asked.

He looked at me. I forgot about his ability to read minds.

"Oh." I said.

"She just thinks she's not pretty enough, or too fat. Neither of which is true, she's a pretty girl, just not for me." He stated, just like a gentlemen.

"What else did you over hear while you were being entertained by my torture?"

"Well, Mike already knows, and he is just livid." Edward smile. "He wants to punch my face in. Little does he know how much damage that would do to his hand."

I glared at him.

"Anyway, Angela is truly happy for you. She just thinks that's 'swell.' And that's the exact word she used when she thought about it."

We were quiet.

"Why were you laughing at the very beginning of our conversation?" I asked curiously.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes." I replied quickly

"Well, when you said you came over to my house, the first thing that popped into Jessica's head was sex."

I turned bright red. Edward laughed.

"She thought we had sex?" I whispered. Before he could answer, Mr. Banner walked in – with a television.

"Today, we'll obviously be watching a video." He said. He took attendance, popped in the tape, and turned off the lights.

"Great." I said sarcastically.

"Isn't it though?" Edward said musically.

In the dark, it was hard not to be tempted by Edward. I could smell him, though there was no breeze blowing his scent in my direction. I wanted to turn and glance at him, but I was afraid I would just start staring. And in my thought, I felt Edward lean into me, my heart raced, and my mind when blank.

"Yes." He whispered in my ear. His cool breath on my ear and neck trickled down my spine and I wanted to scream. I couldn't focus. All I could think was that the most gorgeous person in the entire world is within inches of me, and I was rubbing my hands together like and idiot.

"What?" I looked at him. Our faces were centimeters apart. We both leaned back. The tension was too great, and I was sure if Mr. Banner didn't find the lights soon I was going to scream.

Minutes passed and I was trying to figure out what Edward was talking about. I was pretending to not notice him when he leaned in again, but I couldn't help it. I could feel my legs shake below me, and I was sure I was going to fall apart.

"Jessica wondered if we had sex." Edward whispered again in my ear.

I went numb, every nerve, every muscle, every thought shut down. I couldn't be next to him any longer. There was too much sexual tension. I had a strong urge to throw him on our desk and kiss him, but I couldn't. And that wasn't fair. And if I couldn't do that, then I couldn't sit here and let him keep whispering sex in my ear. But it's not even sex! It's Jessica, talking about us having sex, which is almost just as bad as me thinking about us having sex, and –

"Ah!" I screamed. I covered my mouth with my hand, but it was too late.

"Is there a problem Ms. Swan?" Mr. Banner asked. The entire class was staring at Edward and me. Mike looked as though he could kill. At least kill Edward anyway.

"I thought…er…there was something under my desk. But it's just a piece of paper."  
Mr. Banner continued what he was doing at his desk and my peers turned back around. Edward grinned and leaned in once more to whisper to me.

"I'm sorry." He said.

I just nodded.

Edward scooted his chair to his respective side of the table and we kept our distance for the rest of class.

When the lights came on and the bell rang, I was relieved. I grabbed my bag and Edward and I walked to the door. He escorted me to Gym in complete silence and as I was about to leave to go into the locker room, he reached for my arm and stopped me.

"I'm glad you think I'm hot." He smiled.

I turned red.

"I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world." He gave my hand a little squeeze and I turned and walked into the locker room, with a slight spring in my step.

Edward was not outside the gym, waiting for me like usual. Instead, his sister, Alice, was standing there.

"Edward asked me to give this to you." She said in a small, but very beautiful voice. She handed me a folded piece of paper.

"By the way, are you and Edward dating?" She asked curiously.

"He hasn't said anything to you?" I wasn't sure if I was supposed to tell her. And did she know that I knew she was a vampire?

"No." She simply stated. Wait, which question was she answering? Did I say that vampire thing out loud? I paused for a moment and tried to organize my thoughts.

"He trusts you." She said.

"I know." I said back, slightly confused.

"Should I trust you?" She asked concerned.

Again, I didn't know what to say. I was taken back by the fact she was asking me such pressing questions. And this trust thing, maybe she did know that I knew. And although she was strikingly beautiful, it was this that made her all the more dangerous. I was scared, and I think she sensed that.

"Yes." I replied back.

"Good." She smiled at me and walked away.

I was completely dumb founded. I didn't know if she hated me or liked me.

I suddenly remembered the note in my hand and quickly opened it to see what it said.

Bella,

Sorry I wasn't there after your class. Something came up, but you're truck is in the parking lot. By the way, do you have any plans this weekend? I thought perhaps we could get together and do something besides whisper in the dark. I'll call you later.

Edward

What could have come up? I wondered. I smiled though, at the thought of him calling me. I folded the letter up and placed it in my pocket.

As I walked to the parking lot, I saw my bright red truck, just like Edward had said. As I thought about how it got here, Jessica ran up to me.

"We're all going to the movies tomorrow night. Want to come?" She asked.

I looked at her.

"You can bring Edward." She added.

"Okay." I replied. We made small chit chat and then we parted ways. I drove home listening to the sound of the voice in my head running through the days events.

When I got home, I did some homework and made dinner. Charlie came home and we ate, and lounged around. I watched the clock tick slowly by. When ten o' clock came, I went upstairs to my bedroom and emailed my mom. Afterwards I lied in my bed and watched the clock tick slowly past midnight as I waited for Edward's phone call. I wondered if he had even written the note itself, but that seemed impossible. Alice did not seem the type to play childish pranks such as this. Eventually, I fell asleep.

In the morning, I checked my phone to see if I had any missed calls, and sure enough, there was none. I got ready for school and when I walked out to the drive way, my heart dropped a little when all I saw was my red Chevy.

School dragged on, especially for a Friday. I hadn't seen Edward all morning and I was especially alarmed when I went to lunch and saw none of the Cullens at their usual lunch table.

I drove home that afternoon concerned. What could have happened that Edward hadn't called? I didn't have his number so I couldn't call him. There was no way I could remember how to get back to his house, so that was out of the question. All I could do was wait.

That evening came and went with no phone call. Jessica picked me up to go to the movies in Port Angeles, and we met up with Angela, Lauren, Mike, Eric, and Tyler there.

Fortunately, Jessica sat next to Mike, which spared me of the awkwardness. Mike had been especially distant of me since the outburst in Biology.

After the movie, we went out and got something to eat. Dinner was pleasant and I was slightly content that Edward didn't come. It would have probably been too awkward for everyone at the table, but on the other hand, I had been checking my phone non-stop for the past day, waiting for the phone call.

When Jessica dropped me off there were no lights on in the house. I searched for my keys and as Jessica sped off. As I was about to put my key in the door, I heard a rustle from the bushes across the way, next to the woods.

Probably a rabbit, I thought, now struggling to get the key into the door, but then I heard it again.

"Hello." I said nervously into the dark.

The rustling stopped. I unlocked the door and as I turned the knob and opened the door, a dark figure walked up to me. It wasn't big, but it was bigger than me. Instinctively, I wanted to run away, but in act of pure bravery, I brushed my hand on the inside of the door and turned on the porch light.

The light revealed someone I was not expecting to see.


End file.
